Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP) BC Trust has been honoured with the prestigious Elaben Memorial Award for Best Women-Friendly Financial Institution for 2025–26, presented by Sa-Dhan at its 21st National Conference in New Delhi.

SKDRDP, led by  Dharmadhikari Dr Veerendra Heggade and Mathrushri Hemavathi V. Heggade, wins the Elaben Memorial Award 2025–26 for its commitment to women’s empowerment

The award recognises SKDRDP’s commitment to women’s empowerment, gender equality, and the creation of a safe, supportive, and women-friendly working environment under the guidance of Poojya Dharmasthala D. Veerendra Heggade and Mathrushri Hemavathi V. Heggade.

SKDRDP employs approximately 41,000 people, including 29,000 women, and provides women employees with training, career advancement opportunities, healthcare facilities, and annual health insurance coverage of Rs. 5 lakh. The organisation also facilitates transfers based on family needs and provides specialised training to address workplace safety and the prevention of sexual harassment.

Beyond employment, SKDRDP has played a significant role in strengthening women’s financial independence through its extensive self-help group network. Approximately 3.29 lakh women SHG members have achieved all-round development through 6,547 Mahila Jnana Vikas Kendras, while around 42 lakh women have accessed bank loans facilitated by the Trust to build sustainable livelihoods.

This prestigious recognition reaffirms SKDRDP’s unwavering commitment to women’s empowerment, inclusive development, financial independence, and social transformation.

A proud achievement for SKDRDP and a testament to the vision of Dharmasthala in empowering women and building a stronger society.

L&T Finance Ltd. (LTF), one of the leading Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) in the country has launched the second edition of ‘Pitch Point,’ a competition for AI startups ahead of RAISE’ 26, India’s premier Artificial Intelligence (AI)-themed event in the BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance) sector. 

Two Pitch Point winners will win attractive rewards and the opportunity for discussions with LTF or any L&T Group company for a Proof of Concept (PoC) and the L&T Innovation Fund

LTF is offering an opportunity to AI startups that are in their early to growth stage to present their solutions, applicable for BFSI or Non-BFSI domains, to a panel of Venture Capitalist, LTF’s senior management, and industry experts at RAISE’ 26. Two winners will be eligible for attractive rewards. In addition, winners will get an opportunity to engage in discussion with LTF, or with any of the L&T Group companies identified by LTF, to explore a Proof of Concept (PoC), as well as to engage in a discussion with L&T Innovation Fund, the venture capital arm of Larsen & Toubro, regarding potential equity funding. 

Mr. Sudipta Roy, Managing Director & CEO at L&T Finance Ltd., said, “Given L&T Finance is doubling down on next-gen AI to reshape the lending landscape, making this competition a vital launchpad for identifying, supporting, and investing in visionary startups. The second edition of Pitch Point reinforces our commitment to fueling innovation and unlocking AI capabilities that bring tangible impact to financial services and beyond.”

The product offering that will be evaluated at ‘Pitch Point’ must align with one of the domains that synergises with any of the LTF’s or L&T Group Company’s current and future offerings, namely, Cyber Security & Fraud Prevention, Rural & Agri Fintech, Gen AI Application, Embedded Finance Solutions, Smart Contract & Blockchain Solutions, Alternate Data Based Lending Solutions, AI-Driven Credit Scoring & Risk Assessment, Regulatory Technology & Compliance Tools, Digital Financial & Robo-Advisors, AI-Powered Collections & Recovery Solutions, Agentic AI for Enterprise, Image Processing and Recognition, and AI Geospatial and Remote Sensing.

LTF encourages eligible startups to apply online by submitting the registration form along with their pitch deck. Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a virtual interaction round, and five finalists will then be selected to present live at RAISE’ 26.

The application period for this program is open till October 31, 2026. The final shortlist is set to be announced on December 1, 2026. The program culminates in a final event at RAISE’ 26 on December 16, 2026, which will be held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai.

Link to the ‘Pitch Point’ page: www.ltfraise.com/event/Raise/pitch-point

For any questions pertaining to the application process, eligible companies can contact the organising team at: raise.pitchpoint@ltfs.com

About L&T Finance RAISE
LTF’s RAISE’ 26 is an AI-focused event centered on the theme, ‘Transforming Financial Services with AI’ and offers a unique opportunity to explore the latest Enterprise Agentic AI solutions reshaping the BFSI landscape. RAISE was launched in the year 2024, with resounding success, convening over 4,500 participants including regulatory leaders, unicorn founders, deep tech innovators, and media representatives. It has since emerged as the largest AI-themed gathering in the BFSI domain, underscoring the sector’s growing reliance on AI and ML.

Find more information at: www.ltfraise.com
 

About L&T Finance Ltd. (LTF)
L&T Finance Ltd. (LTF) (www.LTFINANCE.com), is a leading Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC), offering a range of financial products and services. Headquartered in Mumbai, the Company has been rated ‘AAA’ — the highest credit rating — by four leading domestic rating agencies. In August 2025, S&P Global Ratings upgraded LTF long-term Issuer Credit Rating to “BBB/Stable” from “BBB-/Positive” and short-term issuer credit rating to “A-2” from “A-3”. Fitch Ratings has affirmed LTF Long-Term Foreign and Local-Currency Issuer Default Ratings of “BBB-” with a Stable outlook. It has also received leadership scores and ratings by global and national Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) rating providers for its sustainability performance. The Company has been certified as a Great Place To Work® and has also won many prestigious awards for its flagship CSR project – “Digital Sakhi”- which focuses on women’s empowerment and digital and financial inclusion. Under Right to Win, being in the ‘right businesses’ has helped the Company become one of the leading financiers in key Retail products. The Company is focused on transforming into a Risk-first, Technology-first, AI-native Retail financial services institution as part of the Lakshya 2031 plan. The Company has over 2.9 Crore customer database, which is being leveraged to cross-sell, up-sell, and identify new customers.

• Made in India, AI-Assisted First Labour Management App designed specifically for labour contractors in India

• Platform first built to match builders with labour contractors now handles work orders, site reports and billing

• Kharchi and RA bills can be followed stage by stage, with far fewer follow-up calls

• Works with a company’s existing ERP, so site data is entered only once

Captech Technologies Pvt. Ltd., a construction-technology company whose solutions are trusted by leading infrastructure firms across India, today relaunched its Captech eFORCE platform, the first Labour Management App designed specifically for labour contractors in India. The Made in India, AI-assisted solution deploys construction labour 5x faster than traditional methods and uniquely offers workers repeated job opportunities under the same construction company, fostering stability and long-term engagement.

As the first-ever labour contractor management app in the market, Captech eFORCE addresses critical inefficiencies in workforce mobilization. Compared to traditional methods, it makes labour deployment 5x faster and increases deployment capacity 8x, so far more workers can be mobilised in less time. Built to scale to lakhs of contractors, the platform includes dedicated training programs to onboard contractors, many of whom are not tech-savvy, through AI-assisted phone calls and WhatsApp messages. The result: labour deployment is much faster, project timelines accelerate, and contractors gain consistent income streams while construction companies secure reliable manpower supply.

Captech eFORCE went live in 2020 as a labour marketplace, and that part remains. A developer or contractor posts a requirement with the BOQ, drawings, scope and timelines attached. Labour contractors apply with their credentials. PAN, GST and bank details are checked on the platform before the work is awarded. After that, work orders, crew deployment and Digital Daily Progress Reports are handled in the same place. The senior management assigned to the project get a clear view across multiple sites showing bottlenecks and crew shortage if any.

Captech eFORCE currently works with over 5,000 labour contractors impacting close to 5,00,000 blue-collar workforces, across 30+ projects across India. 

Speaking about the relaunch, Asutosh Katyal, Founder & CEO, Captech Technologies, said, “Most contractors we work with have one recurring worry, and it is the bill. Has it been certified, and when will the money come? Until now the only way to find out was to keep calling the site office. After this relaunch the contractor and the project team look at the same record, and it ties into the ERP the company already uses. We started out as a place to find labor. Captech eFORCE is now the platform on which a construction job is run, from the work order to the final payment.”

On most Indian sites, a lot of this still happens over the phone. Updates go out on WhatsApp and end up in spreadsheets, if they are recorded at all. For a contractor with crews on several projects, finding out whether a bill has been certified usually means calling someone. Then calling again.

The relaunch goes after that problem directly. Kharchi (the advance paid to workers for daily expenses) and running account (RA) bills are tracked from the day they are submitted, and the contractor can check at any point whether a bill is still being processed or has been cleared for payment. Project teams on the company side see every pending bill across their sites in a single list.

For construction companies, there’s no need to change the ERP they already use, because Captech eFORCE connects to it directly. Whatever is recorded on the platform, whether a work order, a progress report or a bill, goes into the company’s ERP on its own. Nobody on site has to type it in a second time.

The app also offers onboarding through AI-assisted phone calls and WhatsApp messages for contractors who are not comfortable with technology. Apart from onboarding, this also serves a dual functionality by sending them reminders and keeping them updated on their work. The platform is currently operational in multiple languages including English, Hindi, Marathi and Bangla.

About Captech Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Captech Technologies Pvt. Ltd. is a construction-technology company focused on making workforce coordination and project execution more connected, transparent and efficient. Through its flagship platform, Captech eFORCE, the company bridges the gap between construction companies, developers, labour contractors and specialised vendors by supporting contractor discovery, workforce deployment, work-order management, project tracking and payment-related workflows.

Designed around the operational realities of India’s construction sector, Captech eFORCE helps stakeholders manage key processes through a single digital platform, enabling better coordination between project requirements and workforce availability. The platform also supports multilingual access and uses technology to improve visibility, productivity and efficiency across construction operations.

Captech Technologies Pvt. Ltd. is building technology for the workforce that builds the nation.

• PMI South Asia’s Campus-to-Career Challenge brings students from six cities together to solve community and sustainability challenges while building skills for the workplace.

• Nine students gain global exposure

The regional ‘Campus to Career’ Challenge brought together 133 students from Kerala, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Gujarat, who applied project leadership skills to real-world challenges, including waste segregation and sustainability awareness. Five top-performing students presented their solutions at the Project Management South Asia Conference (PMSAC26) in Bengaluru, presenting their work to project professionals and leaders from India and around the world. Additionally, four students gained global exposure at the PMI  Global Leadership Institute Meeting (LIM) in Seoul, taking their experiences beyond the classroom and into the global project management community.

Students at PMI, Leadership Institute Meeting 2026 in Seoul, South Korea

The initiative gave students a hands-on experience in solving problems rooted in their local communities. Students tackled sustainability and waste management challenges, identifying problems, mapping stakeholders, assessing risks and constraints, developing implementation plans and considering how outcomes could be measured. Students from Presidency University, Bengaluru, explored reducing groundwater dependency through integrated water resource management; L.D. College of Engineering, Ahmedabad, developed a structured waste segregation initiative; while SMEF’s Brick School of Architecture, Pune, focused on building sustainable habits among school children.

Amit Goyal, Managing Director, South Asia, PMI, said, “The transition from campus to the workplace requires students to move beyond theoretical knowledge and develop the confidence to navigate ambiguity, collaborate with stakeholders and deliver outcomes. Through the Campus-to-Career Challenge, we are creating opportunities for students to experience these realities early in their journey. By combining practical problem solving with mentoring, leadership development and exposure to the project management community, we aim to help young talent build capabilities that will remain relevant across industries and geographies. Our focus is to strengthen the connection between academia and the professional world while preparing the next generation of project leaders.”

Reflecting on the experience, Abhin. A, a student leader from the PMI-DUK Student Club at Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology, said: “The Asia Pacific-South Asia Leadership Institute Meeting 2026 was a transformative experience that broadened my understanding of leadership, student engagement and community building. Representing PMI Kerala Chapter and PMI-DUK Student Club on an international platform gave me the opportunity to learn from diverse perspectives and connect with PMI leaders and student members across the region. The experience strengthened my confidence and inspired me to create more mentoring, leadership and collaboration opportunities within our student community.”

The challenge demonstrated how project leadership can help translate local needs into practical solutions, with students navigating collaboration, stakeholder expectations, changing assumptions and execution constraints. Participation from Kerala, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Gujarat also brought diverse regional perspectives to the programme. Through global professional platforms such as the PMI Leadership Institute Meeting in Seoul and PMSAC26, students can take their experiences addressing real-world challenges beyond the classroom, gaining exposure to diverse perspectives and a broader understanding of how project leadership can be applied across different contexts.

With over 25 student clubs and 1,800+ student members  across South Asia, PMI offers students an opportunity to learn, lead, and enhance project management skills for their careers. Students can join as PMI Student Members and become part of an existing Student Club, while universities interested in starting a new club can apply through the PMI Student Club program on projectmanagement.com.

PMI hosted the 18th annual PMSAC26 on 3 October in Bengaluru, bringing together more than 800 project leaders and representatives from over 180 organisations under the theme “MORE, Together: Future-Ready in the Age of AI.

About Project Management Institute (PMI)

PMI is the leading authority in project success. Since 1969, PMI has shone a light on the people and advanced practices behind successful projects. Supported by a global community of millions of project professionals and by thousands of corporations, government agencies and academic institutions, PMI provides the knowledge, resources and certifications to lead projects and transformations effectively and responsibly. Join PMI in elevating our world – one project at a time. Connect with us at www.pmi.org, linkedin.com/company/projectmanagementinstitute, on Instagram @pmi_org, and on TikTok @PMInstitute.

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Project Management Institute and PMI are trademarks and/or registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc., in the U.S., in India, and/or in other countries.

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All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

*PMI South Asia market includes India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Afghanistan primarily.

The Global Skills Mobility Association of India (GSMAI) was formally launched today at ITC Maurya, New Delhi, bringing together 17 founding organisations, government representatives, diplomatic missions, state governments and industry leaders to strengthen India’s role in global workforce mobility.

Founding members and industry leaders at the launch of the Global Skills Mobility Association of India (GSMAI) in New Delhi on 12 October 2026

Established as a not-for-profit Section 8 company limited by guarantee, GSMAI aims to build trust and coordination across the systems connecting Indian talent with global employment opportunities.

Recruitment, skilling, language training and employer engagement have long operated in separate lanes. GSMAI brings together 17 organisations across these areas: Ambe International, Magic Billion, VFS Global, Learnet Skills, Dynamic Staffing Services, 2COMS, Quess Corp, BorderPlus, Virohan, TeamLease Services, TERN Group, Adecco, Randstad India, UDS, CENTA, LeverageEdu and AnywhereJobs. The association seeks to strengthen coordination across the global skills mobility value chain, building trusted pathways from training to international employment.

The launch comes as working-age populations in Japan, Germany and Italy shrink and demand for international talent grows. India is well placed to respond: for every person aged 50 or above, India has approximately 1.4 people under 18, about five times Japan’s ratio and roughly four times Germany’s. Realising this demographic advantage requires ethical recruitment, language readiness, recognised qualifications, worker protection and stronger international partnerships.

Shri Vikram Misri, IFS, Foreign Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, delivered the inaugural keynote and unveiled the GSMAI logo and website alongside the founding board.

Addressing the future of India’s global skills mobility, Shri Vikram Misri said, “India’s skill mobility must not be treated as a one-way exit. We want our people to go abroad, experience, earn well, build networks and acquire technologies and return, or contribute to India from afar.”

The programme also featured a keynote by Shri Shashank Mani, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, and Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Labour, Textiles and Skill Development, Parliament of India, who highlighted “There is almost a need for 65 to 70 million people globally, and India has a surplus of professionals of the 40 million variety. This mismatch has to be answered by institutions which are bringing them together.”underscoring the opportunity to connect India’s talent and skilling capabilities with evolving global workforce needs.

Ajay Khanna, Founding Chair, GSMAI, emphasised collective industry action to translate global demand into trusted pathways for international employment. He said, “We can treat global skills mobility as a series of transactions, or approach it as a national responsibility. We can remain suppliers, or become partners. GSMAI gives us the opportunity to choose credibility over convenience and institution-building over improvisation.”

Mayank Kumar, CEO border plus ​”I think most states are coming to terms that it’s not a volume game, it’s a quality game.”

Neeti Sharma, CEO Teamlease “Skill is the currency that we need. The most important thing is ethical circular mobility and for you to have ethical circular mobility with the skills and with the kind of demand that is there in the world, it has to be digitally credentialised.”

GSMAI’s opportunity extends beyond connecting workers with overseas jobs. It lies in strengthening the systems linking workers seeking rewarding careers, employers seeking the right skills and countries addressing workforce needs. Better coordination across recruitment, training, qualification recognition and international partnerships can make mobility more transparent, responsible and mutually beneficial.

The launch also featured a diplomatic and industry dialogue on trusted talent corridors. Embassy representatives from Germany, Italy, Denmark and Switzerland joined industry leaders to discuss workforce demand, employer expectations, qualification recognition, language training, ethical recruitment and pathways connecting local skilling with overseas employment.

The state-level dimension was reflected in partnerships with the Governments of Maharashtra and Odisha, represented by Smt. Manisha Verma, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, SEEID, Government of Maharashtra, and Shri Bhupendra Singh Poonia, IAS, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Government of Odisha, respectively. These collaborations aim to connect state-level talent and skilling initiatives with international employment opportunities.

Going forward, GSMAI will focus on ethical recruitment, market intelligence, amplifying the industry’s collective voice and connecting recruiters, employers, training providers, governments and international partners. These priorities aim to strengthen trust and align skills development with international workforce requirements.

GSMAI’s long-term ambition is to position India not merely as a source of global talent, but as a trusted partner in meeting the world’s evolving workforce needs—creating opportunity for Indian workers, confidence for global employers and lasting value for countries on both sides of the mobility corridor.

Drawing a parallel with India’s IT story, Arnab Bhattacharya, CEO, GATI Foundation, said, “In 1988, India’s IT industry gave itself a name and a voice. It grew into a $315 billion industry employing 5.95 million people. Global skills mobility is at that same moment today. India has the young workforce and the world has the demand. What has been missing is an industry that can speak with one voice.“

The launch marks the beginning of a collective effort to make global skills mobility more trusted, transparent and accessible, turning India’s talent advantage into a lasting global opportunity.

About GSMAI

The Global Skills Mobility Association of India (GSMAI) is a not-for-profit Section 8 company limited by guarantee established to strengthen India’s global skills mobility ecosystem. It brings together organisations across recruitment, skilling, language training and workforce mobility to bridge the gaps between talent, skills and global workforce demand through industry collaboration and trusted international partnerships.

A book chronicling the inspiring life and philosophy of Shri N. Tarachand Dugar, Founder of the Chennai-based Dugar Group of Companies, was released in Chennai on the auspicious occasion of the 46th birthday of Pujya P.P. Shri Shrut Muniji and the 34th day of fasting by P.P. Shri Akshar Muniji.
 

The book was formally released by Shri R. Thyagarajan, Founder Chairman of the Rs. 3 Lakh Crore Shriram Group of Companies, in the presence of family members, friends, associates and well-wishers of Shri Tarachand Dugar.
 

L-R: Smt. Pushpa T Dugar; Sri Dhaman Prakash Rathod; Sri Janakiraman; Sri Tarachand Dugar; Sri Thyagarajan, Chairman, Shriram Group; Sri M Kishore Menon; and Sri Subhashchand Ranka
 

The book presents the inspiring journey of Tarachand Dugar, a self-made businessman from Tamil Nadu who learned to turn challenges and obstacles into opportunities. Through his experiences, observations and philosophy of life, he shares lessons on resilience, leadership, relationships, decision-making and maintaining balance in life.
 

Known for his wit, clarity of thought and ability to distil complex experiences into memorable one-liners, Dugar uses his personal journey to offer practical wisdom to the younger generation.
 

The book is a compilation of conversations and narrations shared by Dugar with his friends, family members and associates over the years. It covers his early life, the challenges and adversities he encountered, and the mindset that enabled him to convert many of those challenges into opportunities.
 

Rather than being simply a business biography, the book reflects Dugar’s broader philosophy of life. It contains several insights on facing difficulties, solving problems, building relationships and remaining positive through different stages of life. Many of these lessons are particularly relevant to young people beginning their personal and professional journeys.
 

Among the memorable observations in his book are:

“In golf, as in life, the hardest person to be honest with is yourself.”

and

“Life is a relay race, and you cannot do this sprint alone. Invest early in relationships, both personal and professional.”
 

The book has been made available on Amazon. With the objective of reaching and inspiring the next generation, complimentary copies are also being offered to school and college libraries.
 

Schools and colleges interested in receiving a complimentary copy for their library can contact dugarlife@gmail.com.

About Shri N. Tarachand Dugar

Shri N. Tarachand Dugar is the Founder of the Dugar Group of Companies and has been associated with business, finance, real estate, Rotary, Medical College, various forums and charities, and the global vegetarian movement. His life and work have been shaped by a philosophy of converting challenges into opportunities and combining business success with personal values, relationships and social responsibility.

MediaTek, the world’s leading fabless semiconductor company powering nearly 2 billion connected devices each year, has collaborated with ThinkStartup to launch ‘Future Minds: Powering the Disruptors of Tomorrow’. Unveiled at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026, this flagship corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative will deliver a year-long digital entrepreneurship education program to 6,000 students from underprivileged backgrounds across 30 states.

MediaTek collaborates with ThinkStartup to launch ‘Future Minds’ CSR initiative

Powered by ThinkStartup and the Management & Entrepreneurship and Professional Skills Council (MEPSC), the initiative is designed for students in Classes 8 to 12. It will be rolled out across government and foundation-supported communities including Eklavya Model Residential Schools, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and PM Shri Schools. 

The comprehensive program provides school students with a structured curriculum covering ideation, business fundamentals and finance. Alongside the core coursework, participants will benefit from live masterclasses hosted by IIT alumni founders, a guided TS Idea Lab, and monthly pitch days to refine their concepts. The initiative will culminate in May 2027 with a national showcase of student-led entrepreneurial ventures, coinciding with MediaTek’s 30th anniversary globally. 

“MediaTek’s business is built on enabling ideas to become technology that reaches a billion devices,” said Anku Jain, Managing Director, MediaTek India. “Future Minds extends that same belief to 6,000 young minds from underprivileged and government schools across 30 states, giving them the tools to turn their own ideas into ventures. Nurturing young builders is what MediaTek has always stood for, and initiatives like this naturally support India’s journey toward a Viksit Bharat.”

Mr. Sanjeeva Shivesh, Co-founder, ThinkStartup, added, “At ThinkStartup, we have always believed entrepreneurship is an essential life skill. MediaTek wanted an intervention that could be rolled out at a national scale, reaching youth from underprivileged backgrounds, and our eSchool platform fit perfectly with that vision. Over the next year, we will provide teenagers in Class 8 to 12 the chance to learn, build and pitch real ideas with real mentorship. We are grateful to MediaTek for backing this program, and we are hoping our youngsters will inspire the world with a slew of innovative solutions that take India forward.” 

As the initiative begins its phased rollout across the country, it marks a significant step in democratizing entrepreneurship education. The MediaTek Future Minds program reinforces the company’s broader commitment to digital inclusion and youth empowerment in India.