ITV

Tag: Raipur

  • No more chalk and awe as QWR gives classrooms a VR upgrade

    No more chalk and awe as QWR gives classrooms a VR upgrade

    MUMBAI: In a world where school still means blackboards, wooden benches and a race for marks, one Indian start-up is asking: what if you could step inside the syllabus instead? Enter QWR (Question What’s Real), a deep-tech XR company that’s quietly reshaping education from the inside out. Instead of starting in Tier-1 cities, QWR flipped the traditional script. Its immersive VRone.Edu headsets, designed for classroom use, are already in the hands of students from Kohima to Patna and Raipur to Ranchi, impacting over 2,00,000 learners across 19 states.

    The twist? These aren’t just fancy gadgets. QWR’s devices come loaded with NCERT-aligned, K–12 modules that turn abstract concepts into interactive experiences. Why just read about the human heart when you can walk through its chambers? Why mug up tectonic plates when you can stand in the middle of a virtual earthquake?

    “Curiosity begins with the senses,” says QWR founder Suraj Aiar. “We’re not pushing hardware. We’re redefining how India learns.”

    With India’s current education model still chasing grades over growth, QWR’s approach blends VR, AR and XR to put experience at the heart of education. According to the company, only 10 per cent of Indian schools currently use digital tools. That’s the gap QWR wants to close one headset at a time.

    And it’s not just schools. The brand’s roadmap includes engineering, medicine, defence, and blue-collar upskilling, all delivered through real-time, immersive simulations. It also aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2022, Samagra Shiksha Yojana, and Sustainable Development Goal 4, creating classroom equity through tech.

    To fuel the future, QWR has also launched India’s largest XR developer initiative the QWR ISV Program offering grants to XR creators to build content directly for its ecosystem. The goal: make India not just a market for XR education, but a hub of its innovation.

    “Other players talk XR,” says Aiar. “We’ve cracked it, governments and institutions come to us because our solutions work.”

    So the next time a student stares blankly at a textbook, they might just be seconds away from stepping into it. For QWR, the future isn’t virtual, it’s already here.

  • Swiggy Instamart delivers big as smaller cities set new shopping records

    Swiggy Instamart delivers big as smaller cities set new shopping records

    MUMBAI: In a move as swift as its deliveries, Swiggy Instamart has expanded its quick commerce footprint to 100 cities across India, catering to the surging demand for 10-minute doorstep convenience beyond metro hubs. The expansion brings over 30,000 products from groceries and gadgets to fashion and festive essentials closer to millions of new customers in Raipur, Siliguri, Jodhpur, Thanjavur, and beyond.

    “India’s love for instant convenience isn’t just an urban trend, it’s a nationwide phenomenon,” said Swiggy Instamart CEO Amitesh Jha. “As quick commerce evolves, we’re thrilled to bring its benefits to underserved geographies, empowering local businesses and delivery partners while meeting growing consumer needs.”

    Swiggy’s expansion reflects a broader shift in shopping behaviour, with one in four new users in 2025 hailing from tier 2 and 3 cities. Riding this momentum, the platform is ramping up operations with ‘megapods’ large-scale dark stores spanning 10,000-12,000 sq. ft. These hubs can stock 50,000 plus products, tripling inventory and offering an expanded selection of FMCG, D2C, and local brands tailored to regional preferences.
    As Swiggy Instamart reshapes retail in smaller cities, unique shopping trends are emerging, Patna raced to 1,000 plus daily orders in just four days, while Raipur set a launch-day record with 300 orders. Thiruvananthapuram even outpaced Mumbai in demand for hot & sweet flavoured chips. Onions, tomatoes, and coriander remain the most ordered items, while one Dehradun shopper spent a staggering Rs 3.34 lakh in total, and a Thiruvananthapuram resident set a single-day record of Rs 69,993.  
     

  • IBN 7 for look makeover to catch aspirational young viewers

    IBN 7 for look makeover to catch aspirational young viewers

    NEW DELHI: IBN 7, the Hindi news channel from the Network 18 group is going for a total overhaul of its look to match the profile and taste of the younger crowd who sometimes do not watch Hindi news on aesthetic grounds.

    The new-look channel will start from next week.

    Ashutosh, the IBN 7 Managing Editor told indiantelevision.com “The difference is hard to explain without actually showing what we mean, but let’s say the difference would be a man from the small town and a man from Mumbai or Manhattan.”

    Ashutosh says that the group has been feeling that Hindi news channels take on a rustic, rural face, which puts off many young people who have become aspirational.

    He says that with the flush of money due to recent economic boom in the country colouring the outlook of the viewers, there is need to give the face of the channel a completely international look.

    Alongside, technology would be key to the viewing experience as many virtual studios will be added for news programming.

    “We shall just have one master studio with proper sets, the rest will be all be virtual and we can create any kind of set that the particular news requires,” Ashutosh said.

    As an example he agreed that it would now be possible to report, say, on a plane hijack creating the virtual set of the plane and the cockpit and showing how the hijack had taken place, instead of just giving audio takes on these details.

    Ashutosh said that large chunks of prime time will have the support of these virtual studios, and that too would add to the international viewing experience.

    But the key issue is of the look, he stressed, explaining that the news content will be the same but with a changed face. He says that the entire colour scheme, among other visual effects willl be changed to give the international feel.

    “Let’s say a man has shifted from Raipur to Rochester, and so does his look. The cloth is the same the man is the same but the look is international.”

    It was a bit difficult to envisage, though, as the various bands that are seen on the screen of IBN 7 today will still be there.

    At present there are four bands, one at top and three below, and those would stay.

    Asked why BBC or CNN does not have these bands, and that primarily these are the cause for Indian Hindi news channels’ on-screen look being badly cluttered, he said that this is because those foreign channels do not have to face the intense competition one sees in India.

    “Those bands are constant feed of information useful to the viewers, so that even if the audio is out, one can feed on information, whether regarding the story on news, or other ticker news and so forth,” he explained.

    His defence is that the tremendous competition to grab eyeballs is what has led Indian channels to go for these techniques, and said: “These will stay, but still, you will realise that what you are seeing today on our channel is completely different from what is coming up.”

    Ashutosh admitted that the virtual studios have come at a huge price, but this reinventing of the channel was necessary.

  • Inox to acquire Calcutta Cine Pvt Ltd

    Inox to acquire Calcutta Cine Pvt Ltd

    MUMBAI: Leading multiplex operator Inox Leisure Limited is acquiring Calcutta Cinema Private Limited (CCPL) in an all-share-swap deal. This will allow Inox to get a firm foothold in West Bengal, adding up to its presence in Kolkata.

    CCPL, which runs its business under the brand 89 Cinemas, plans to commence its second three-screen multiplex at Durgapur in West Bengal within 15 days. The company also runs a four-screen multiplex at Swabhumi in Kolkata.

    The two companies are in the process of appointing an independent valuer. “We have agreed that the valuation will be on the basis of a discounted cash flow model over five years. CCPL is merging its operations with Inox,” says Inox Leisure Limited director Deepak Asher.

    CCPL will have 8-10 properties over the next two years. “We will be able to enhance our pan-India presence in movie exhibition by gaining a strong foothold in West Bengal,” says Asher. Inox presently operates two multiplexes in Kolkatta (Elgin Road and Salt Lake) and one in Darjeeling (Laden La Road).

    Inox also plans to open new multiplexes in Diamond City, Jessore Road with five screens and at Kharagpur with four screens. The agreement with CCPL will take Inox’s tally of multiplexes in West Bengal and Assam up to 13.In addition, CCPL has tied up properties for building and operating six other multiplexes in West Bengal and Assam. CCPL also has an understanding with Bengal Ambuja Housing Development Limited (Bengal Ambuja) – a leading real estate developer in East India – which gives CCPL preferential access as the preferred multiplex operator to all properties being developed by Bengal Ambuja.

    According to the press release, Inox also plans to expand its network with new multiplexes in Hyderabad, Chennai, Jodhpur, Lucknow, Raipur, Kolkata and Bangalore. In addition, Inox also has a strategic alliance with the Pantaloon Group of Companies which provides it with preferential access, as a multiplex operator, to all real estate developments which the Pantaloon Group of Companies and funds managed by it, are developing or otherwise associated with.

    “89 Cinemas is an emerging multiplex chain with a strong regional focus in Eastern India. The proposed merger will enable Inox to build a very strong presence in the region and the inorganic growth opportunity will create great value for Inox shareholders,” Asher says.

    CCPL CEO Debashis Ghosal commented, “We believe that the proposed merger with Inox – India’s most profitable multiplex chain – will create tremendous value for CCPL shareholders, enabling them to partake in the value creation by Inox, as well as enable Inox to build a formidable presence in Eastern India”.

    The proposed merger is subject to due diligence, final approval by Shareholders, Creditors and the High Court. Enam Financial Consultants Pvt. Ltd. is acting as Advisor to this Transaction., “We are delighted to have acted as Advisors to this transaction. We think the proposed merger is a great fit with Inox’s national footprint and 89 Cinemas strength in the eastern region. The proposed merger perhaps marks the beginning of the consolidation phase in the multiplex industry,” says Salil Pitale of Enam

  • Doordarshan launches SMS based news service

    Doordarshan launches SMS based news service

    MUMBAI: Doordarshan has launched an SMS based news service, by which mobile phone users can get the top four news headlines and cricket score updates on match days of matches telecast live on Doordarshan.

    As far as All India Radio network is concerned, News on Phone Service (IVR) is already functional at Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Patna and Ahmedabad. This service is expected to be commissioned at Thiruvananthapuram and Bangalore shortly.

    Besides, this service is also expected to be launched at Raipur, Jaipur, Shimla, Lucknow, Guwahati, Imphal and Kolkata during the 10th Plan period. SMS based news service is expected to be commissioned in Delhi during the 10th Plan period.

    The information was given by minister of information and broadcasting and Parliamentary affairs, P R Dasmunsi in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.