CHENNAI PLUS

In a landmark development under the Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs (PM-SETU) scheme, the National Steering Committee (NSC) has approved the Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) for the Visakhapatnam ITI Cluster in Andhra Pradesh, submitted by ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) along with their academic partner New Age Makers Institute of Technology (NAMTECH). The approval marks the first-ever Strategic Investment Plan to be cleared under PM-SETU and makes Andhra Pradesh the first State to operationalize an industry partnership under the scheme. The approval was accorded during the 3rd National Steering Committee Meeting convened by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India at Kaushal Bhawan, New Delhi. The milestone represents the first concrete step towards implementing PM-SETU's vision of transforming Government ITIs into industry-managed, outcome-oriented institutions through deep p...

Tamilnad Kidney Research (TANKER) Foundation, in association with The Madras Medical Mission (MMM), inaugurated a new Hemodialysis Machine at the MMM Dialysis Unit today in memory of the late  Prof. Rajan Hariharan , a distinguished Professor of Surgery and an esteemed member of the medical fraternity. The machine has been generously donated by the family of Prof. Rajan Hariharan as a tribute to his remarkable life and service to society. This contribution will help provide life-saving dialysis treatment to hundreds of kidney patients, particularly those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The inauguration ceremony was attended by  Dr. Sarojini Hariharan  and  Mr. Sivakumar Hariharan  from Prof. Rajan Hariharan's family,  Dr. Georgi Abraham , Founder Trustee and President of TANKER Foundation,  Dialysis unit Staff of The Madras Medical Mission, and other distinguished guests.The machine was formally inaugurated by  Dr. Sarojini Hariha...

On the occasion of World Digestive Health Day, Aashirvaad Happy Tummy released its latest findings on India’s digestive health landscape, based on insights from over 6.5 lakh participants, highlighting a widespread fibre intake gap driven by low awareness and lifestyle habits. Aashirvaad Happy Tummy is an online platform by Aashirvaad Atta with Multigrains, which serves as a comprehensive guide focused on digestive health and fibre intake. While the world is talking about “Fibremaxxing”, the findings reveal that nearly 7 in 10 Indians are not even meeting their recommended daily fibre intake, pointing to a widespread gap in everyday nutrition. The issue is more pronounced among women, with over 73% falling short of recommended levels, compared to over 63% of men. Dietary habits appear to be a key contributor: only 1 in 4 people consume multigrains daily, while nearly 40% rarely eat fruits. Although vegetable intake is relatively better, the overall pattern suggests that daily diets...

On World Hunger Day, Hunger Free World, a humanitarian initiative by Malabar Group, highlighted the impact of its Street Meal Distribution Programme through the Rehabilitation Impact Report: Impact Stories, How a Daily Meal Opens the Door to a Transformed Life. The report documents how daily meal outreach, operated on the ground by Thanal, has enabled rescue, medical support, shelter access, dignity restoration, and family reunification for vulnerable individuals living on the streets.   The Street Meal Distribution Programme was created to address hunger through regular access to nutritious meals. Over time, the initiative has also become a bridge to deeper care, as daily outreach allows field workers to build trust, observe changes in health and behaviour, identify distress, and connect beneficiaries to rehabilitation support. The report reinforces the programme’s central belief that a meal, when delivered with consistency and human attention, can become the beginning of a larg...

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has released its Annual Complaints Report 2025-2026. Offshore betting, despite regulatory interventions, was the most violative sector, accounting for 6,933 cases. It was followed by realty (643 cases), personal care (576 cases), food and beverages (331 cases) and products violating the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act (274 cases). ASCI reviewed 11,581 cases in FY 2025-26, a 21% increase over the previous year. These cases pertained to 9,841 advertisements, a 37% rise over the previous year; 98% of the ads scrutinised required some modification. Notably, 93% of these cases came from ASCI’s proactive monitoring. Digital platforms continue to dominate the violations landscape, accounting for 97.3% of all ads scrutinised, with 82% of these being sponsored content on social media platforms. Meta platforms accounted for 79.84% of digital violations. The report underscores how the speed and reach of digital ecosystems are being used to ampl...

Cognizant is working with Travelport on a strategic AI transformation that will deploy Anthropic's Claude to modernize the way Travelport builds, tests and maintains software across its travel retailing and distribution platforms. The collaboration aims to accelerate the delivery of AI-led innovation to airlines, hoteliers, travel management companies and online travel agencies worldwide, while embedding AI features within Travelport's platform. Booking systems built for a previous era now strain to keep up: agency costs have grown as human agents increasingly piece together complex itineraries manually, and a gap has opened between how travelers now search using AI tools and what current platforms can interpret and fulfill. This collaboration will address these structural challenges through intelligent infrastructure designed to close the gap between AI-driven travel intent and a confirmed booking. For travel agencies and travel management companies (TMC), Travelport's...