As Indian consumers increasingly prioritise speed, transparency, and ease of use in their financial decisions, banking is undergoing a fundamental shift. Choice today is no longer driven by branch density or legacy alone, but by how seamlessly financial products integrate into everyday digital behaviour.
 

slice UPI credit card
 

slice is building its banking ecosystem around this change. Designed as a UPI-first bank, slice integrates savings, credit, and investments into a single digital experience that mirrors how Indians already transact. Three offerings in particular reflect this approach, addressing long-standing gaps in value, access, and simplicity.

Savings account linked to 100% of the RBI repo rate

slice has introduced India’s first savings account linked to 100% of the RBI repo rate, ensuring customers earn returns aligned with the true cost of money in the economy. Interest is calculated and credited daily, allowing savings to grow in real time rather than through static, below-market rates.

The offering is enabled by slice’s digital-first operating model, which keeps costs low and deploys deposits through disciplined lending to generate a healthy spread over the risk-free rate. Customers benefit from transparent returns, no minimum balance requirements, instant liquidity, and full digital access from day one, including UPI for everyday transactions.

By aligning profitability with fairness, the product sets out a new benchmark for what consumers should expect from a modern savings account.
 

UPI credit card built for everyday payments

As UPI becomes the default payment mode across India, slice is extending credit to where users already transact. The slice UPI credit card allows customers to scan and pay at any UPI-enabled merchant while drawing directly from an approved credit limit, embedding credit into routine payments instead of restricting it to traditional card usage.
 

This shift matters because access to formal credit is still limited for a large part of the population. Banks play a critical role as stabilizing institutions, enabling consumers to build a credit history early in their financial journey. Regular, responsible credit usage helps individuals qualify over time for lower-cost loans such as home loans, education loans, or business credit. For millions, the absence of a simple entry point into formal credit delays these opportunities.
 

Check the NPCI podcast between Rajan Bajaj, Founder & ED, slice and Dilip Asbe, MD & CEO, NPCI
 

The card offers up to 3% cashback based on usage, features such as “slice in 3” for no-cost EMI conversion on purchases above Rs. 2,000, and weekly rewards through slice sparks. With no joining, renewal, or annual fees, and a fully digital experience, the slice UPI credit card lowers barriers to formal credit while aligning with existing payment behaviour.
 

Digital fixed deposits with high returns and regulatory protection

For users seeking predictable and secure returns, slice offers fully digital fixed deposits that combine traditional stability with app-based convenience. Customers can open, manage, and track deposits entirely online, choosing from multiple tenures based on their financial goals.

The fixed deposits offer interest rates of up to 7.25% per annum and are insured up to Rs. 5 lakh by the DICGC, providing an additional layer of regulatory protection. By pairing competitive returns with transparency and ease of access, slice is reimagining even conventional products for a digital-first audience.
 

As banking continues to evolve alongside India’s digital economy, slice’s integrated approach highlights a broader shift in consumer expectations. Platforms that simplify savings, spending, and wealth creation within a single ecosystem are increasingly shaping preference, signaling a new chapter in how Indians experience banking.

Happiest Diagnostics, a unit of Happiest Health, has received accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), marking a significant milestone in its growth journey. The accreditation was achieved within just two years of inception, reflecting strong governance and early maturity of quality systems.

Happiest Diagnostics, a unit of Happiest Health, has received accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)

From inception, Happiest Diagnostics designed, commissioned, and operated its laboratories in alignment with NABL guidelines, enabling a smooth and structured accreditation process. The organisation places a strong emphasis on accuracy, reproducibility, and traceability across its diagnostic services, with an uncompromised focus on clinical quality.

Speaking on the broader vision, Mr. Ashok Soota, Chairman & Chief Strategy Officer, Happiest Health, said, “Our vision is to build a future-ready diagnostics platform governed by strong quality systems, capable of handling complex biological data, and scalable for advanced testing needs. This milestone strengthens our foundation to systematically expand into molecular, genomic, and preventive diagnostics, supporting how medicine will increasingly be practiced over the next decade.”

NABL accreditation provides a strong foundation for the continued expansion of the company’s accredited test menu and supports its progressive move into advanced diagnostics, including molecular and genomic testing. The diagnostic roadmap is aligned with preventive, predictive, and personalised healthcare needs, with an emphasis on introducing rare and clinically significant tests that remain under-available in routine diagnostic settings.

Mr. Davis Karedan, Co-Chairman & COO, Happiest Health, added, “For us, NABL accreditation is not just a regulatory milestone—it directly impacts the Atithi experience. It assures patients and clinicians that every report is built on rigor, consistency, and trust. As diagnostics becomes central to clinical decision-making, our focus is on delivering an experience that is accurate, transparent, and dependable at every touchpoint—from sample collection to interpretation. This accreditation reinforces our commitment to making advanced diagnostics both clinically reliable and patient-centric.”

While the current NABL accreditation marks an important milestone, Happiest Diagnostics is concurrently building a large reference laboratory that will significantly expand its accredited test portfolio—nearly tripling its current offerings—while enabling advanced and specialised testing capabilities. The reference lab is envisioned as a central hub for quality, standardisation, and complex diagnostics, supporting the organisation’s next phase of growth across molecular, genomic, and data-intensive testing.

As part of its advanced diagnostics portfolio, Happiest Diagnostics has also introduced Gut Microbiome Testing, leveraging high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics to analyse over 5 GB of microbial genomic data per sample. This data-intensive test provides clinically relevant insights into digestive health, metabolic balance, immune modulation, and overall wellness, reinforcing the organisation’s focus on preventive, predictive, and personalised diagnostics.

Dr. Bikash Kumar Chaudhury, CEO & Senior Vice President, Happiest Diagnostics said “Diagnostics today plays a central role in clinical decision-making across prevention, diagnosis, and long-term care. Receiving NABL accreditation validates the strength of our quality and clinical frameworks, reinforcing confidence in the accuracy and reliability of our reports. This milestone supports the expansion of our clinical offerings, particularly in advanced and data-intensive diagnostics, while ensuring complex biological data is governed responsibly. Our focus remains on delivering clinically actionable insights that enable early intervention and support personalised, preventive healthcare.”

Looking ahead, Happiest Diagnostics plans continued investments in automation, quality systems, and advanced diagnostics, with a long-term aspiration to build a future-ready, clinically rigorous, and nationally trusted diagnostic ecosystem.

About Happiest Health
Happiest Health is an integrated “Wellness Enterprise” promoted by Ashok Soota. We are committed to improving health through better knowledge, state-of-the-art diagnostics, wellness centers, and clinics in a unique away-from-the-hospital model.

The business divisions of Happiest Health comprise Knowledge, Diagnostics, Healthcare Services and Wellness. The Knowledge business is already a global leader by virtue of its much-acclaimed Happiest Health magazine, free daily Healthzine, podcasts, videos, and impactful health summits. Diagnostics provides routine blood tests and specialized tests in Bangalore.

The Healthcare services (HCS) business specializes in multiple disciplines. We currently offer Dental and Orthopedic services. We will soon offer ENT, Ophthalmology, Pediatrics, Obesity & Weight management, Urology, and other disciplines.

The Wellness business too has a range of clinics including Ayurveda, Mental health, Body Dynamics, and Physiotherapy. 

Our mission at Happiest Health is to inspire everyone to “embrace wellness” as a way of life.

Riders of Jawa, Yezdi and BSA rode out across India on 26 January 2026, with the shared belief that motorcycling, like the Republic itself, thrives on unity drawn from diversity. Classic Legends, the makers of the modern performance classics, celebrated with them by going live with its community page, titled ‘Nomads: Ride as One, Ride the Legacy’, on its official website. The new page is designed to take riders closer to their local riding community (Jawa-Yezdi-BSA rider clubs) by making discovery and connecting just a click away.

Jawa-Yezdi-BSA Nomads Kommuniti’s The Republic Ride

The Republic Day rides, Nomads for Unity in Diversity, stretched across regions and cultures, from Jammu to Tamil Nadu, Gujarat to Manipur, reflecting India’s vast geography united by a single passion for performance classics from Jawa, Yezdi and BSA. The love for these motorcycles brought together more than 2,000 riders, representing over 20 independent riding communities and more than 150 dealership-led riding groups, spanning different age groups, professions, and riding styles.

In a rolling expression of continuity, seasoned riders rode alongside first-time tourers, and legacy machines flanked modern-day performance classics from brands Jawa, Yezdi and BSA. The independent communities and dealership-led riding groups will now be further unified by Classic Legends’ riding collective called ‘Nomads’, consolidating all the brands’ riding groups on the brands’ common website.

Spanning riding communities across Jawa, Yezdi, and BSA, Nomads is designed to be their shared identity that cuts across the brands, regions, and choice of ride. Built by riders, and not by campaigns, Nomads epitomises the inclusiveness, independence, and joy of riding with one’s tribe. It made Republic Day a fitting celebration to launch the Nomads website nationally. The page will make finding the riding club closest to the rider easy and facilitate riding out with their tribe more often.

Anupam Thareja, Co-founder, Classic Legends, said, “At the heart of motorcycling lies the urge to seek out your own brand of freedom. Our performance classics are designed for that quest. But there is a deeper longing that defines motorcycling across generations, especially in these alienating times of digital overload – the urge to belong. While some days are about riding for yourself, Republic Day is about riding together. The annual rides of Jawa, Yezdi and BSA on this day unites different riders to ride out as a close-knit tribe. This year, we are celebrating them by doing more than sharing their stories. We are going live with our community page, Nomads, which lets each of our riders, old and new, find a riding community near them. The name for our riding collective recognises the urge to test boundaries and yet, belong together for a shared purpose, which could simply be the love of motorcycling.”

In addition to the Nomads page launch, rider stories from across the country were shared in real-time on the Jawa Yezdi and BSA Motorcycle social media handles throughout the day, saluting the spirit of riding with fellow Nomads.

The Republic Day rides are an annual tradition for Nomads, the Jawa, Yezdi and BSA riding communities. This year marks a larger, more unified Nomads presence, deeper collaboration with independent communities, and the launch of the Nomads platform, built to sustain that momentum well beyond community rides throughout the year.

About Classic Legends Pvt. Ltd. & BSA Motorcycles

Classic Legends Pvt. Ltd. was founded with a vision to reintroduce iconic motorcycle brands in India & international markets. The company currently boasts an elaborate portfolio constituting Jawa, Yezdi & BSA marquee brands. It aims to bring consumers a quintessential motorcycling lifestyle experience by co-creating exciting product and service offerings within its motorcycling ecosystem and bringing back renewed fervour into the performance-classic motorcycle market.

www.jawayezdimotorcycles.com/

www.facebook.com/yezdiforever/

www.facebook.com/jawamotorcycles/

x.com/jawamotorcycles

twitter.com/yezdiforever

www.bsamotorcycles.in/

www.facebook.com/p/BSA-Motorcycles-India-61561313586811/

x.com/bsamotorcyclein?lang=en

Avtar Group, India’s leading workplace culture and inclusion consulting firm, launched the Avtar & Seramount ‘Best Companies for Women in India’ (BCWI) 2026 study at a Leadership Summit held at the Leela Ambience in Gurugram. BCWI, an annual benchmarking study conducted by Avtar and Seramount, is among India’s largest and most rigorous inclusion-focused studies, with over 400 participating organizations and growing each year. Introduced in 2016, BCWI marked its tenth anniversary last year, completing a decade of shaping inclusive workplaces across India.
 

Dr Saundarya Rajesh, Managing Director, Avtar Career Creators, launching the BCWI 2026 in Gurgaon
 

Speaking at the leadership summit, Dr Saundarya Rajesh, Managing Director of Avtar, said, “Workplaces will continue to evolve, and organizations will always debate what to prioritize. But there is one non-negotiable truth: Strong performance and stability come only when employees are engaged and customers believe in the organization. Neither is possible without inclusion & belonging. Gender inclusion, in particular, is a decisive performance lever. And today, women’s participation is also a global and national priority. With the Global Gender Parity Sprint accelerating action towards 2030, and India’s 2047 goal of 70% women’s participation promising a $14 trillion economic upside, inclusion is a macro-economic imperative. This is where BCWI plays a critical role. BCWI offers a rigorous, data-backed benchmark that helps organizations build inclusion that lasts, anchored in leadership ownership, pay equity, safe workplaces, flexibility, and fair career progression. I encourage organizations of every size to benchmark with BCWI, learn from corporate India’s most effective practices and be recognized among the country’s most inclusive employers.”

Dr Saundarya Rajesh also unveiled a new benchmark – the Avtar & Seramount ‘Best Places for Workplace Wellness’, recognizing the growing importance of well-being in today’s workplaces. The study will evaluate organizations across areas such as built-in work flexibility, comprehensive wellness benefits, inclusive and equitable practices, data-led decision-making and a strong focus on continuous improvement.

The event convened senior leaders and decision-makers from benchmark-setting companies including CBRE, EY India, IBM, IHG Hotels & Resorts, R1 RCM, Sun Life Global Solutions, Teleperformance and Wipro for high-impact conversations on what sets leading organizations apart, the future of inclusion, and the business outcomes of building equitable, high-trust workplaces. This pivotal leadership summit also featured a path-breaking ‘Solutions Clinic’ that explored the tangible advantages of rigorous benchmarking, along with a key segment that spotlighted the principle-led articulation of the BCWI framework.

Over the last decade, BCWI has documented measurable progress in women’s workplace outcomes across participating organisations. Women’s representation in the workforce among the ‘Best’ companies has grown from 25% in 2016 to 35.7% in 2025, reflecting sustained efforts to strengthen hiring, retention, and advancement. At the leadership level, the benchmark recorded a rise in women’s C-suite representation to 20%, up from 13% in 2016, reinforcing the increasing emphasis on building stronger, more equitable leadership pathways.

Participation in the Avtar & Seramount benchmarking studies is free. Register here:
www.avtarcc.com/enrich/best-companies-for-women-in-india-bcwi/

About Avtar

Avtar Career Creators, founded in 2000 by Dr Saundarya Rajesh, is one of India’s leading workplace culture consulting firms, supporting hundreds of companies in creating diverse and supportive workplaces. Avtar is also the country’s largest provider of second career opportunities for women.

An ISO 20700 certified firm, Avtar’s biggest research projects are its annual benchmarking studies – the Best Companies for Women in India (BCWI) and the Most Inclusive Companies Index (MICI). Done in partnership with Seramount, BCWI and MICI are India’s largest workplace inclusion benchmarking studies, which have paved the way for the employment of more women and other underrepresented groups. Avtar also promotes inclusive hiring through MyAvtar, India’s first job portal for underrepresented professionals.

A snapshot of Avtar’s work in the last 25 years:

• Provided advisory services in inclusive practices to 800+ organizations

• Conducted 5000+ workshops and training programs in companies of different sizes, spanning industries and locations

• Facilitated the re-entry of 1,00,000 second-career women into the workforce through MyAvtar.com

• Engaged with 200,000+ women through career enablement programs

• Offered unique skilling programs such as DigiPivot (a prestigious course in digital marketing, conducted in partnership with Google, HUL, and ISB) to hundreds of women

• Provided career intentionality training, employment guidance, and access to industry leaders every year to 10,000+ girls from underprivileged backgrounds through Project Puthri, an initiative of the Avtar Human Capital Trust (AHCT)

• Impacted 4000+ schoolboys through MITR (Men Impacting Trust and Respect), an initiative by AHCT that mentors boys to be advocates for women

For its transformational impact in the realm of DEI, Avtar Group was listed in the prestigious Steward Leadership 25 Listing by Straits Times & INSEAD in Singapore in 2022. In 2025, Avtar won the Times Business Awards and was recognized as the ‘Leading Women’s Employment Organization’.

To know more, visit www.avtarcc.com | www.myavtar.com.

JK Cement Ltd., one of India’s leading cement manufacturers, today announced the commissioning of its new state-of-the-art Grey Cement plant in Buxar, Bihar, marking a major milestone in the company’s growth journey. With this addition, JK Cement’s total production capacity now stands at 31.26 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), taking the company past the 30 MTPA mark. With this expansion, JK Cement now ranks among the top five Grey Cement manufacturers in India, strengthening its national footprint and reinforcing its long-term growth strategy.

JK Cement Leadership at the Buxar, Bihar plant

Commenting on the strategic achievement, Dr. Raghavpat Singhania, Managing Director, JK Cement, said, “Crossing 31 MTPA is a significant turning point in JK Cement’s expansion and demonstrates the scale, resilience, and aspirations of our company. In addition to making a significant contribution to Bihar’s development vision, the commissioning of our Buxar plant represents a strategic step towards expanding our national footprint. We are committed to developing top-notch manufacturing capabilities that boost India’s infrastructure development and generate long-term benefits for local communities.”

The Buxar plant, with a capacity of 3 MTPA, is spread across 100 acres and is strategically located on the Patna–Buxar highway, enabling faster and more efficient distribution across the state and adjoining regions. While JK Cement entered the Bihar market last year through supplies from its Prayagraj plant, the Buxar facility will now allow the company to serve the region locally, with deliveries possible within 24 hours across the state.

Sharing his views on the expansion, Mr. Madhavkrishna Singhania, Joint Managing Director & CEO, JK Cement, added, “JK Cement is now among India’s top five producers of grey cement after the Buxar plant commissioning. Our capacity to serve Bihar locally, more effectively, and on a larger scale is strengthened by this facility. Although we had already entered the Bihar market last year using Prayagraj supplies, local manufacturing now enables us to be nearer to our clients and significantly raise service standards throughout the state. Buxar places us at the center of this chance to promote sustainable growth for both the company and the region in Bihar, a high-growth market with strong infrastructure momentum.”

The new facility is a strategic step in supporting Bihar’s development vision, ensuring faster access to superior quality cement for infrastructure, housing and commercial projects. About ₹500 crore has been invested by the company in the project. Commercial production started on January 29, 2026, after construction started in March 2025. In addition to drawing ancillary industries to the area, the plant is anticipated to create a sizable number of direct and indirect jobs, bolstering the local economy and industrial ecosystem.

About JK Cement Ltd.
JK Cement Ltd. is among India’s top manufacturers of Grey and White Cement, and home-building solutions globally. For over five decades, JKCement has contributed to India’s infrastructure through product quality, customer focus, and technology leadership, beginning with its flagship grey cement unit in Nimbahera, Rajasthan, in May 1975. 

The Company’s Grey Cement capacity is 31.26 MTPA, making it a leading manufacturer with a strong presence across 15 states, especially in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. With a total White Cement and Wall Putty Capacity of 3.05 MTPA, JK White Cement is sold in 36 countries around the globe. 

The Company has a strong international presence with two subsidiaries, JK Cement Works Fujairah FZC and JK White Cement (Africa) Ltd. In 2023, JKCement launched JKMaxx Paints, offering wall, wood, and metal finishes. In the same year, JKCement expanded into construction chemicals with JK Profix, a waterproofing line, and also entered the Ready-Mix Concrete segment with JK Super Concrete, serving Delhi NCR and set for nationwide growth.

For more information, please visit JK Cement: www.jkcement.com

Budget 2026 is widely seen as a potential inflection point for India’s real estate sector, as the gap between the luxury housing market and a stressed affordable segment continues to widen. While premium and high-end homes have sustained healthy demand and capital inflows, the affordable and mid-income housing categories, crucial for first-time buyers and urban workforce housing, have come under pressure due to rising land and construction costs. Against this backdrop, developers closely watch Budget 2026 for policy signals that can restore balance to the housing ecosystem, revive affordability and support inclusive urbanisation, while preserving growth momentum in the premium and luxury segments.
 

Pre Budget 2026
 

Deepak Kapoor, Director, Gulshan Group, says, “Housing developments that are quality-led and design-intensive operate on longer gestation cycles with higher capital commitment than mass housing. From Budget 2026, the sector’s key expectation is policy stability – predictable GST on construction inputs, clarity on works contracts, and uniform compliance norms. Granting real estate industry status will improve access to structured financing, enhance investor confidence, and enable the sector’s progression towards global standards and long-term value creation.”
 

Sanjay Sharma, Director, SKA Group, said that the real estate sector is looking at the Union Budget 2026 for meaningful reforms that enhance housing affordability. Rationalisation of stamp duty and simplification of tax structures can reduce the financial burden on homebuyers and support faster decision-making. Combined with continued incentives on home loans, these steps can strengthen end-user demand and ensure sustainable growth across the housing sector.
 

Saurab Saharan, Group Managing Director, HCBS Developments, says, “For the real estate sector, Budget 2026 is an opportunity to align policy with the sector’s economic weight finally. One long-standing expectation is the grant of industry status to real estate, which would significantly improve access to organised financing and reduce the cost of capital, critical for large, design-led luxury projects with long gestation cycles. The sector also looks forward to the creation of a dedicated revival fund for stalled projects at both the central and state levels, aimed at fast-tracking completion, enabling the timely delivery of homes and restoring buyer confidence.”
 

Rakesh Kaul, CEO & Managing Director, Ralith Realty, says, “Housing demand in India has always followed infrastructure. As we look towards Budget 2026, continued and targeted investment in connectivity, urban utilities and social infrastructure remains critical to unlocking new residential markets. When infrastructure planning aligns with housing supply, it not only improves liveability but also ensures more balanced urban growth beyond traditional city centres. A strong infrastructure push, backed by execution-focused reforms, can be the single biggest catalyst for the next phase of housing growth.”
 

Ashok Singh Jaunapuria, Managing Director & CEO, SS Group, says, “As the housing market matures, we expect Budget 2026 to take a more buyer-centric view of policy design. Homebuyers today are financially aware and long-term in their outlook, yet many tax benefits and eligibility thresholds have not kept pace with rising urban housing prices. Revisiting ownership-linked tax incentives and improving affordability through financing support can significantly strengthen end-user demand. Equally important is easing approval bottlenecks through faster, more transparent processes, which ultimately improve delivery timelines and buyer confidence.”
 

Mohit Batra, Regional Director, Realistic Realtors, said, “The policy direction over the past few budgets has helped bring greater stability and transparency to the real estate sector, and we expect Budget 2026 to sustain this momentum. We implore the government to address housing affordability more realistically by revisiting tax deductions and income limits that no longer reflect current property values or loan sizes. Enhanced tax incentives can meaningfully ease the decision-making process for homebuyers and improve market absorption. Alongside this, a sustained infrastructure push remains essential to support urban expansion and unlock new housing markets.”
 

Viren Mehta, Founder & Director, ElitePro Infra, says, “The industry seems to have gotten back on track, but going forward, only if the ownership base expands, meaning if the industry gets to serve more people and not just the high end, can it experience steady growth. More tax relief on loans for housing, particularly under section 80C, would be highly effective in benefiting the first-time buyer and upgrade cycles. Incentivising developers to venture into affordable housing also needs renewed attention in metro peripheries and tier-2 cities where demand is real, but supply economics remain tight. Faster approvals and regulatory consistency will further improve execution quality and buyer confidence.”
 

Harjeet Singh Sahni, CMD, Solitairriann Group, says, “The commercial property market is moving on to a more complex plane where quality and operational efficiencies are more valued than mere size. Supportive policies, which are able to facilitate greater access to funding, provide rationalisation of taxes on materials used in the development process, and ease the approvals process, would enable developers to invest in the next generation of quality assets. Classification of the sector as an industry would facilitate greater institutional participation, which would help the real estate adhere to further its participation in the country’s growth.”
 

Goldi Arora, Co-founder & Managing Director of Property Master, says, “We expect the Budget 2026 to be judged by how effectively it converts intent into on-ground housing momentum. Across markets, we see buyers delaying decisions not due to lack of demand, but due to uncertainty around approvals, financing and post-tax costs. Introducing a single-window clearance system would directly address execution risk, while better tax incentives for first-time buyers could unlock pent-up demand at the entry and mid segments. If the Budget aligns tax policy with these emerging urban realities, it can create more predictable housing cycles rather than episodic spurts.”
 

Therefore, as Budget 2026 approaches, the real estate sector is seeking clear, forward-looking signals to bring coherence to housing, taxation, and urban development policies. The expectation is not for disruptive shifts, but for a calibrated framework that sustains market momentum, improves buyer confidence and supports India’s evolving urban growth story over the long term.

Magic Bus India Foundation, one of India’s leading NGOs in education and skilling, is scaling its ‘AI for Masses’ initiative through a suite of inclusive and high-impact AI skilling programmes designed to prepare youth from underserved communities for an AI-driven economy.

Magic Bus representatives with youth participants at their Employers Summit

As part of this initiative, Magic Bus is convening the Employers Summit Series, its official pre-summit engagement ahead of the India AI Impact Summit 2026. The multi-city series, being held across Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai, is anchored in the theme “AI-Ready Talent: What Employers Really Want Tomorrow.” With editions in Chennai and Hyderabad already concluded, the Employers Summit Series now moves to Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai, building on early conversations that set the tone for inclusive, ethical, and scalable AI adoption.

The series aims to strengthen employer–youth linkages and shape demand-driven skilling pathways by bringing together employers, policymakers, CSR leaders, academia, and youth innovators. By aligning industry expectations with grassroot realities, the series supports India’s goal of democratising access to AI skills and preparing an AI-ready workforce at scale.

The India AI Impact Summit 2026, organised under the IndiaAI Mission by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), is India’s flagship platform to accelerate AI adoption and workforce transformation. The Summit will convene global leaders to shape a future where AI benefits every citizen. Magic Bus’s pre-summit series plays a vital role by channelling employer insights and workforce readiness strategies into national deliberations.

Arun Nalavadi, Chief of Programmes – Livelihood, Magic Bus India Foundation, said, “At Magic Bus, our mission is to ensure that youth from underserved communities are not left behind as the world of work evolves. Our AI skilling programmes are built on the belief that access to future-ready skills should not be limited by geography or socio-economic background. Leveraging technology, we combine AI with life and employability skills to deliver impact at scale. By aligning with employers and providing foundational AI literacy, we bridge the gap between aspiration and opportunity, making AI a pathway to sustainable employment.”

As one of the early movers in the development sector, Magic Bus launched the AI for Masses initiative to equip young people with future-ready skills and enable a smooth transition to the world of work. A flagship programme under this initiative, AI–Connect with Work (AI-CWW), is a 7–10-day intervention for college students and graduates from underserved communities. It builds practical AI awareness and workplace-relevant skills, preparing youth for emerging roles in an AI-driven economy. Last year, 35,000 youth were skilled through AI-CWW, and the programme is on track to reach 1.5 lakh participants this year. By equipping youth with the skills and confidence to make informed career and life choices, the programme empowers them to support their families, break the cycle of poverty, and become role models in their communities.

About Magic Bus India Foundation

Magic Bus India Foundation is one of India’s leading NGOs in education and skilling. Over the past 26 years, the organisation has expanded its reach and impact across the country through innovative, inclusive, and gender-responsive programmes.

With a strong focus on school-to-work transition, Magic Bus enables adolescents and youth from underserved communities to build the life and employability skills needed to break cycles of poverty and empower future generations. Magic Bus is also empowering women aged 25 years and above, in peri-urban and rural areas, to enable their economic and financial independence.

Through its Adolescent Programme, Magic Bus equips adolescents aged 12 to 18 years with life skills and Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), reaching over 38 lakh adolescents. The programme is implemented across 22 states and Union Territories and is strengthened through partnerships with 12 state governments and NITI Aayog, with interventions across nearly 30% of India’s aspirational blocks. Girls account for 52% of participants.

The Livelihood Programme empowers youth aged 18 to 25 years by equipping them with life and employability skills. Since 2015, over 7.15 lakh youth have been skilled, with 80% placed in sustainable jobs. Young women constitute 60% of participants, reflecting a continued focus on gender equity.

The Rural Livelihood Programme empowers women by strengthening life skills, leadership, and entrepreneurial skills. The programme has supported over 1,100 women across six states to establish and sustain enterprises and move towards financial independence.

For more information, visit: www.magicbus.org.

Theia Ventures, India’s specialist early-stage fund focused on AI, deeptech, energy transition, and decarbonization, today announced that it has led a pre-seed investment round of US$1M in EarthSync, a unified Artificial Intelligence platform for renewable energy planning, procurement, and operations. The round also saw participation from Eximius Ventures, India’s first dedicated pre-seed fund, investing across Enterprise AI, Fintech & ConsumerTech.

EarthSync’s Co-founders Rajat Singh & Mehul Kumar

The investment will support the development of EarthSync’s AI-enabled clean energy modelling and forecasting engine, policy-enabled techno-economic optimizations, and project marketplace. EarthSync’s mission is to accelerate energy transitions through big data systems, providing cloud-first clean energy finance modelling and insights platforms to energy stakeholders including Independent Power Producers (IPPs), Commercial & Industrial (C&I) consumers, advisors, and utilities.

EarthSync is engineering a unified Artificial Intelligence platform that enables C&I enterprises, energy advisors, and Independent Power Producers to plan, procure, and manage renewable energy assets with clarity and precision. The platform combines techno-economic modelling, regulatory data, real-time simulations, and advanced AI to help users evaluate options, optimize returns, improve forecasting, and make confident, data-driven decisions before committing capital.

The EarthSync platform has already run 10 GW of solar and wind and 4 GWh of BESS simulations through pilots with key IPPs and C&I consumers, enabling decision-makers to strategize and bid for over 200 MW of solar and wind and 100 MWh of BESS projects. This fundraise will support EarthSync’s team and product build-out, enable higher project and bid volumes on the marketplace, and accelerate global scaling to power the next wave of clean energy deployments.

“We are delighted to partner with the EarthSync team as they transform how C&I customers and IPPs measure and manage the performance of their renewable energy installations. Through their proprietary AI-powered tech stack, the company is well positioned to deliver an agile, customizable, and accurate engine that disrupts the conventional Excel-based or legacy software models in this sector,” said Priya Shah, Founder & GP, Theia Ventures.

“EarthSync is providing a single, trusted view of policy, pricing, and asset performance, one that every stakeholder around the table can finally rely on. We’re excited to welcome EarthSync into Fund II and partner with a team that understands this problem at a systems level,” said Preeti Sampat, Partner, Eximius Ventures.

 “We are thrilled to welcome Theia and Eximius as our first institutional investors, partnering with us to accelerate and simplify energy transitions for IPPs, C&I consumers, and key industry stakeholders. We are building the digital energy backbone that converts policy, technical, and climate complexity into executable intelligence, working across auto manufacturing, data centres, metal and mining, chemicals, and textiles”, said EarthSync’s Co-founders Rajat Singh & Mehul Kumar.

India’s clean energy market is expanding rapidly as companies seek reliable and cost-effective solutions to meet long-term power needs, driven by rising demand, supportive policy momentum, and strong investment interest. However, adoption remains challenging due to evolving state-level policies, uncertain pricing and grid conditions, stricter compliance requirements, and fragmented data that slow planning, procurement, and operations. As renewable energy becomes a core business priority, the continued growth of the open access market depends on digital decision tools that can accurately interpret policy, model demand, manage risk, and enable financially sound choices.

This is Theia Ventures’ fifth investment from its new fund, which announced its first close, anchored by British International Investment, in October 2025. The fund counts Sarla Aviation, Climitra Carbon, Lemnisca, and Novyte Materials among its earlier investments and has committed to a few additional investments to be deployed within this financial year.

About EarthSync

EarthSync is engineering a unified intelligence platform that enables C&I enterprises, energy advisors, and Independent Power Producers to plan, procure, and manage renewable energy with clarity. The platform integrates regulatory intelligence, real-time simulation, and techno-economic modelling into a single workflow, turning a fragmented process into a clear and consistent system.

About Theia Ventures

Theia Ventures is one of India’s first specialist early-stage funds focused on energy transition, deep tech, and decarbonization. The fund backs founders building technologies that transform industrial systems and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy.

About Eximius Ventures
Eximius Ventures is India’s first dedicated pre-seed venture capital fund, backing ambitious founders building globally scalable companies from India. The fund follows a thesis-driven approach across fintech, consumer tech & enterprise AI, and works closely with founders from day zero to help build enduring, category-defining businesses.