13th March 2025, Bengaluru; Every year, the college admissions process in India sparks waves of anxiety for both students and their parents. Weeks are spent navigating multiple college websites, trying to understand the unique application processes, filling out numerous forms, submitting documents, and waiting for shortlist results. It’s a stressful journey—one that often leaves students confused and overwhelmed.

India has over 50,000 colleges, and nearly 5 crore students aspire for higher education, yet the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) is just 27.1%, significantly lower than the global average of 38%. Compared to the U.S. and China, where GER is much higher, India still faces barriers in making college education accessible to all. The cumbersome application process is a big reason why many students give up before they even begin.

This is where Appli steps in—to make college admissions simpler, faster, and more accessible for students across India.

A Vision Born from a Personal Promise

Appli was built with a single mission: to remove the unnecessary complexities of college applications and make the process seamless for students and parents.

The idea for Appli came from a father’s realization of the system’s complexity. Nanjunda Prasad saw his daughter struggle with multiple applications, countless forms, and overwhelming processes. He knew there had to be a better way. That promise led to the creation of Appli—a platform that helps students navigate college admissions effortlessly.

How Appli Helps Students

Appli is a mobile-based common application platform that allows students to:

✅ Search: Access a vast database of verified colleges with detailed information on courses, faculty, admission criteria, and campus facilities.

✅ Shortlist: Filter colleges based on interests, eligibility, and future career plans.

✅ Apply: Submit multiple college applications in just a few clicks, instead of filling out separate forms for each institution.

No more spending weeks on applications—Appli reduces the entire process to just a few minutes.

Appli ensures verified, unbiased information about colleges, so students can make informed decisions without external influence.

To make things even easier, Appli Lens, a YouTube series, provides exclusive campus tour videos for different colleges. Instead of relying on scattered and unverified sources, students get firsthand insights into campus life, infrastructure, and academic offerings.

Seamless Profile Creation with Digilocker Integration

Creating a profile on Appli is quick and effortless. Students can:

✔ Manually enter their academic and personal details, OR

✔ Use Digilocker to automatically fetch all essential documents.

With this feature, Appli ensures accuracy while eliminating repetitive data entry. Students can apply to multiple colleges in minutes without worrying about lost or incomplete forms.

A patent has been filed for this unique profile creation system—making it an industry-first solution in streamlining college applications.

How Appli Helps Colleges

Appli isn’t just a game-changer for students—it’s equally beneficial for colleges.

● Efficient Application Management – Colleges receive applications in a standardized format, making it easier to review, shortlist, and process them.

● Wider Reach & Visibility – Colleges on Appli attract a diverse pool of applicants from different cities and states, improving inclusivity and accessibility.

● Data Security & Authenticity – Appli ensures that student records are secure and verified, eliminating fraudulent applications and improving the credibility of student data.

Appli is already making waves, with top universities coming on board. Bangalore’s leading institutions, along with multiple colleges from Bangalore and other major cities, are in the final stages of onboarding. Built with the guidance of Vice-Chancellors and education experts, Appli is transforming the way colleges manage admissions.

Data Security: A Bold Promise

In an age where data privacy is a major concern, Appli stands apart by ensuring that no student data is ever shared with third-party agencies.

✔ Strict security measures are in place to protect user data.

✔ Only students and authorized colleges have access to relevant details.

This bold promise reinforces trust and transparency, ensuring that students can apply with confidence and peace of mind.

Bengaluru, March 13, 2025: In line with the stated strategy, the promoters of Aster DM Healthcare have successfully reduced their share pledge from 99% to 41% after completing a debt refinancing transaction from top-tier global financial institutions.

 As part of the refinancing process, the new reputed lenders – JP Morgan, HSBC, and Barclays provided fresh funding, enabling Aster DM Healthcare promoters to refinance its existing loans at better terms as well as loan-to-value (LTV).

Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder and Chairman of Aster DM Healthcare, said, “The reduction in Aster’s pledged shares is a significant testament to our financial strength as promoters, especially in light of the volatile global market conditions. It reflects the strong confidence we have in our company’s growth trajectory, operational excellence, and strategic direction. This milestone also reinforces trust among our stakeholders, investors, and partners as we continue to expand our footprint in India.”

Mumbai, 13^th March 2025:  ixigo, India’s leading OTA for the Next Billion Users, reveals a massive surge in travel bookings to Prayagraj during the Maha Kumbh Mela (January 13 – February 26, 2025). Flight bookings witnessed 5.4x YoY demand, with nearby airports in Lucknow and Varanasi witnessing 69% YoY growth. Train bookings saw a 4x YoY rise, while bus bookings saw the highest surge at 20x YoY, underscoring strong demand across all segments for the world’s largest spiritual gathering.

Gen Z & Solo Travelers Drive Historic Travel Boom to Prayagraj for Maha Kumbh 2025

Booking data from ixigo’s bus business, AbhiBus, highlights a surge in young travelers, with those aged 20-25 making up 26% of total bus bookings. Gen Z bus travelers saw a remarkable 20-fold YoY increase during the Kumbh Mela, and 50% of all bus passengers heading to Prayagraj were under 30. Key origin cities contributing to the surge in demand across the ixigo Group included New Delhi, Mumbai, Kanpur, Meerut, Varanasi, Lucknow, Jaipur, Ranchi, and Ayodhya. A significant shift in travel behavior was also observed, as solo travelers dominated train bookings, making up 60% of the total, surpassing group travel.

Speaking on this, Aloke Bajpai, Group CEO, ixigo, said “The Maha Kumbh Mela has spotlighted the rapid rise of spiritual tourism in India, with a remarkable surge in participation from young travelers. Our data shows that Gen Z and millennials are increasingly embracing cultural and religious journeys, making experiential travel the new norm. As faith-based tourism evolves, the future of travel will be driven by seamless multimodal connectivity – ensuring greater accessibility and convenience for a new generation of spiritually inspired explorers.”

New Delhi, 12^th March 2025 – Wendor, one of India’s leading smart vending solutions provider, is set to revolutionize the food and beverage industry at AAHAR 2025 with the launch of its innovative vending machines and smart lockers. The company is showcasing its state-of-the-art vending machines and smart lockers at Stall No. 14G-09, Hall No. 14, Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, which started on 4th March and will continue till 8th March 2025, from 10 a.m. onwards. With a focus on affordability, speed, and advanced technology, the new machines will demonstrate innovative use cases for brands across industries, from beverages and personal care to toys and frozen food.

The company’s AI-driven vending machines which are World’s first AI based vending machine and smart lockers are designed to enhance operational efficiency while meeting the evolving needs of modern retail spaces, corporate offices, and public locations.

Lakshit Anand, Co-Founder & CEO of Wendor, said, “Our mission is to make vending solutions, smarter, faster, and more accessible. At Wendor, we believe technology should maximize everyday convenience, and the essence of technology is not only about vending; it believes in transforming the experience of accessing any product without hassles. We contribute smart automation to create an intelligent and seamless retail experience, thereby catering to the modern consumers with their evolving needs. AAHAR 2025 will be the perfect plan to introduce these innovations; we’re very excited to bring the future of automated retail.”

Wendor is launching a groundbreaking vending machine, ‘Phoenix’, India’s fastest beverage vending machine. Inspired by vending technology used in Japan, this vending machines ensures rapid dispensing and unparalleled efficiency for high-traffic locations. This high capacity and power efficient vending machine is designed to cater to the growing demand for quick, hassle-free beverage dispensing in areas such as metro stations, corporate offices, and public spaces. As India’s only no-fizz vending machine, it guarantees a smooth beverage experience, making it an ideal solution for businesses and public infrastructure. Wendor has already secured its first sale to a leading beverage brand, marking a significant milestone in the industry.

Also debuting at AAHAR 2025 is ‘Orion’ designed to be the most affordable in India. Orion will no longer utilize built-in touch screens like most vending machines but will now focus on expediting the user interface by integrating it on mobile devices. Customers scan a QR code, open a web interface to select their product, and pay seamlessly via Google Pay or other UPI methods. Available in both ambient and refrigerated models, the company is giving special launch offer at AAHAR. The ambient version is priced competitively at ₹79,999 (excluding GST) and ₹99,999 (excluding GST) for the refrigerated variant, valid only if bookings are made during event.

In addition to vending machines, Wendor is unveiling three new smart locker solutions ‘Apollo Series’ with new features at event:

Vending Locker – The newly launched vending locker is designed to accommodate products that may not fit within traditional vending machines due to their shape or size. Products of transitionally smaller sizes such as soft toys and board games can access vending lockers while allowing brands a unique opportunity to sell unconventional products via an automatic stock delivery mechanism.

Luggage Locker – Designed for locations like temples and gurudwaras (for shoe storage), factories (for phone submission), cinemas, amusement parks, supermarket, museum and malls, this locker offers three access methods: face recognition, mobile-based key entry, and a unique pickup code. It ensures safe and secure storage for customer belongings.

Delivery Pickup Locker – Delivery Pickup Locker provides a contact-less delivery solution for all last-mile deliveries for services like Zomato, Amazon, and Blinkit. This innovation is largely beneficial for quick commerce and is the most preferred and efficient locker used in China in restaurants, residential complexes, and office buildings.

Along with the new launches, the company is also demonstrating diverse vending solutions including Ice Cream Vending Machines, designed to dispense frozen treats with precision and efficiency. Wendor will showcase diversified automated retail solutions to different product categories to provide seamless and innovative consumer experiences. With these latest innovations, Wendor continues to set new benchmarks in automated retail, providing businesses with efficient, cost-effective, and tech-driven solutions.

March 12, 2025:With the mechanical completion of new production lines at the Map Ta Phut Industrial Park in Thailand, Covestro has further increased its global capacity for polycarbonate (PC) specialty films. The investment is in the higher double-digit million Euro range, the project has been completed on schedule. A total of around 40 new jobs will be created.

“The new production facilities are equipped with state-of-the technology to enable an efficient production and thereby reduce our CO2 emissions,” says Thorsten Dreier, Chief Technology Officer of Covestro. “With the expanded capacity, we can meet our customers’ growing demand for innovative specialty films, especially in medical technology, in the region Asia-Pacific and strengthen our Solutions & Specialties segment.”

Covestro has been operating a production facility for Specialty Films in Thailand since 2007. The range comprises polycarbonate films from the Makrofol® range and Bayfol® products made from polycarbonate blends. These high-performance specialty films are used in many applications across multiple industries, such as healthcare, mobility and Identification Documents.

“The new production facilities are important to us because it enables faster time to market and at the same time expands our market access in Asia-Pacific.” says Aukje Doornbos, Global Head of the Specialty Films business entity. “With market- focused innovations and a stronger customer orientation we want to drive growth for Covestro.”

Since 2022, the Map Ta Phut site is ISCC PLUS certified, enabling it to manufacture and supply mass-balanced products. With the mass balance approach, bio-based or recycled raw materials are fed in at an early stage of raw material extraction and mathematically allocated to the finished products. This saves fossil raw materials and reduces CO2 emissions, while the quality of the mass-balanced products remains identical to that of purely fossil-based products. With this drop-in solution, manufacturers can continue to use their proven formulations, equipment, and processes.

ISCC is an internationally recognized sustainability certification for biomass and bioenergy. The standard covers all stages of the value chain and is used worldwide. Customers can use these products in their established processes and apply them to meet their sustainability goals. In addition, Covestro already offers a range of films made partly with plant-based raw materials or partly from recycled plastics

Mumbai, 12th March 2025: Vivekanand Education Society’s Polytechnic College (VESP) proudly hosted VES Technothon 2025, Maharashtra’s premier 24-hour state-level hackathon for diploma engineers, on March 1st and 2nd, 2025. The Technothon was part of Shri Hashu Ji Advani’s Centenary Celebration and was organized in collaboration with the VESP Alumni Association, Institution Innovation Council (IIC) Cell, and HABIT Foundation Incubation Centre, VES. The event brought together top talent from nine districts to foster innovation, problem-solving, and industry collaboration. Out of 125 registered teams, 32 finalists competed in an intense 24-hour development challenge, culminating in a Final Evaluation Round and a grand ceremony.

The event was inaugurated by esteemed industry leaders, including Shri. Umesh Nagdeve, Secretary, MSBTE; Shri. Jiten Saheta, Director Operations, Connectwell; Shri. Manas Phadnis, VP – Projects & Business Development, VEGA India, and Shri. Umesh Rathod, Innovation Manager, AICTE. Participants showcased exceptional technical expertise and creativity, with standout teams from VES Polytechnic, SVKM’s SBM Polytechnic College, K.J. Somaiya Polytechnic, Government Polytechnic Mumbai, VPM Polytechnic, and Government Polytechnic Pune receiving top honors. The competition featured a ₹1.10 Lakh prize pool, rewarding the most innovative and problem-solving minds. The event was supported by Connectwell Industries Pvt. Ltd. as the Title Sponsor, with VEGA India Level and Pressure Measurement Pvt. Ltd. as the Powered-by Sponsor. PearlQuest joined as the Gaming Partner, while 39 Solutions served as the Knowledge Partner. Additionally, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Veloce Nxtgen contributed as Associate Sponsors, ensuring a dynamic and well-supported event.

Speaking on the occasion, Vikrant Joshi, Principal of Vivekanand Education Society’s Polytechnic College said, “VES Technothon 2025 is a testament to the incredible potential of diploma engineers. This event not only fosters technical brilliance enhances teamwork, and real-world industry exposure. The enthusiastic participation and strong industry collaborations reinforce our commitment to nurturing the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs. We look forward to scaling this initiative to greater heights in the coming years.”

With its growing impact, VES Technothon continues to evolve as a catalyst for innovation and engineering excellence, further solidifying VESP’s mission to foster technical talent and entrepreneurial spirit