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Tag: UP

  • From UP with love: Live Times XChange fires up India’s engines of growth

    From UP with love: Live Times XChange fires up India’s engines of growth

    MUMBAI: The debut edition of Live Times XChange, a flagship forum from India’s first global multicast news hub Live Times, landed in Lucknow with the energy of a start-up and the weight of a summit. With top ministers, rival netas, and sharp-shooting bureaucrats in attendance, the conclave turned into a masterclass on how India’s rise begins at the state level.

    At the centre of it all was Uttar Pradesh, positioned as India’s breakout growth story and a live case study on how good governance, strong policy, and people-first programmes can turn potential into performance.
    “This is not just the land of possibilities anymore. UP is now a model of success,” thundered chief minister Yogi Adityanath, outlining his vision to make the state a $1 trillion economy by 2029. With Rs 40 lakh crore in investment proposals, expressways zipping across districts, and the Mahakumbh pulling in 66 crore visitors, UP, he said, is no longer waiting its turn — it’s leading the charge.

    Former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, playing both the critic and the statesman, praised the event for backing “constructive journalism” and urged unity in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. He also took a dig at delayed projects and reminded the audience of metro lines and roadways launched during his tenure.

    Adding further heft were deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, alongside Baby Rani Maurya (women’s welfare), Asim Arun (social justice), and Ajay Rai, president of the UP congress. Baby Rani Maurya, with 95 lakh SHGs under her belt, said women were no longer waiting for empowerment — they were earning it.

    Live Times founder Dilip Kumar Singh called the event a “defining moment for India’s future”, noting that “when states thrive, the nation soars”. He positioned XChange as a bridge between policymakers and citizens, built on the bedrock of facts, not frills.

    The conclave didn’t just talk policy — it sparked purpose. With sessions covering caste inclusion, women’s safety, local industry and jobs, XChange set the tone for what public discourse should sound like in a new Bharat: tough, topical, and totally democratic.

    Next stop? More states, more voices, and more action. Because when growth is a team sport, XChange is where the players meet.

  • Paytm payment gateway launches UPI subscription services for businesses

    Paytm payment gateway launches UPI subscription services for businesses

    KOLKATA: Paytm has announced the launch of subscription service for businesses. Named as ‘Paytm Subscriptions’, the service will enable businesses to collect payments from their users via flexible payment methods. The subscribers and customers will be able to choose and pay through their preferred payment option of Patym Wallet, UPI or cards.

    Paytm Subscriptions can support different business models and use cases such as free trials with automatic payments, one-time charge with automatic payments as well as flat or variable charging. Merchants can also integrate the payment option for display on a TV screen or in-app purchases. To provide a seamless experience to users, the payment gateway is built with intelligent features such as pre-debit notifications, smart retry, intelligent routing between multiple bank gateways, card expiry notifications, and intelligent error code handling.

    Paytm vice president Saloni Malhotra said, "We are excited to launch Paytm Subscriptions, which enables companies to receive periodic and timely payments for their services. Businesses of all sizes can integrate flexible payment options for their subscribers. We have already onboarded several leading online platforms and are expecting to bring in more than 1000 businesses within the next 6 months.

    Paytm Subscriptions provides a unique offering to access the largest repository of saved payment instruments – 220+ million Saved Cards, 400+ million Wallets and 100+ milion Saved Bank Accounts. This helps the entire payment process to become faster, with the highest success rate in the industry. Already, popular platforms such as Zee5, Disney+, Epic On, JioSaavan and Gaana, The Hindu among others have started using the service for subscription payments.

  • Akanksha Khatri from Mirzapur, UP wins India’s first ever digital food reality show, India’s Digital Chef!

    Akanksha Khatri from Mirzapur, UP wins India’s first ever digital food reality show, India’s Digital Chef!

    MUMBAI: Conceived and created by One Digital Entertainment with judges Sanjeev Kapoor, Saransh Goila and Amrita Raichand, India’s Digital Chef aimed at giving the country its first ever digital chef. 16 home chefs of different ages and ethnicities, went on to fight for the title of India’s Digital Chef. 

    After 15 episodes and 4 distinct stages of cook-offs, 29 year old Akanksha Khatri, won the final round against Rashmi Ahuja to win the first season of the show. The finale was a tough fight between modern vs. traditional approach to food. Akanksha’s journey on the show was quite astounding as her recipes always managed to take the judges by storm. She went on to prove herself as the fusion queen always taking risks and innovating with flavours and ingredients on the go. 

    Akansha has won a world class, high end cooking range for her dream kitchen from KRBL as well as a highly advanced water purifier from Livpure. One Digital Entertainment will now invest in her to provide her with mentoring, production and marketing support to build her own digital properties across platforms in order to pursue her dream of becoming an established chef by helping her build herself as a brand and monetise and syndicate her work with their vast experience in the industry. 

    Akansha said, “ I’m ecstatic. Cooking was my dream and now to finally be able to pursue it as a career with One Digital Entertainment’s support is too exciting. I can’t wait to start cooking in my dream kitchen, start making more delectable recipes and share with you all!” 

    Chef Sanjeev Kapoor says, “Akanksha had stunned us with her melange and combination of healthy food. Even the other contestants were so innovative with their recipes. It is heartening to see so much talent lying around in the corners of our country hence it’s an amazing feeling to be a part of this show with One Digital Entertainment and other judges to find such talented home chefs. I am quite excited to see what the second season has in store.” 

    Gurpreet Singh, co founder of One Digital Entertainment commented, “Akanksha showed real promise from the first episode and we are very happy we have found a chef as talented as her. It has been a great experience for us to make this show and we are already beginning work on season 2. Season 2 will see more home chefs coming from all over India as our goal has always been to support and invest in the best talent around.” 

    One Digital Entertainment is India’s largest digital video content network working with over 3000 artists, celebrities and influencers and also the creators of various genres of first of its kind digital format series and web documentaries that stand out in the entertainment market. 

  • NewsX-MRC Exit Poll: BJP leads in UP, Punjab Congress vs AAP

    MUMBAI: As the political battle for power in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa drew to a close after the last vote was cast in the final phase of the Assembly Elections, NewsX-MRC Exit Poll gave a clear indication of how the voters cast their ballot for the ultimate show of power in the states which went to polls.

    The results of the NewsX-MRC Exit Poll indicate that Uttar Pradesh looks all set for a major overhaul with the BJP making inroads to the seat of power in the state while the SP-Cong alliance tries to give them a run for their money; Punjab offers an interesting mix with a severe jolt to the ruling SAD-BJP combine as Congress and AAP go neck-and-neck in the crucial state; BJP may form a government in Uttarakhand; the Goans seem to be mixed in their reception as BJP, Congress and AAP all seem to be getting a piece of the pie.

    NewsX-MRC Exit Poll data from Uttar Pradesh suggests the state may see a major swing of fortunes for the BJP and the party may finally take the mantle of governance from the Samajwadi Party with the BJP projected to win 185 (+/- 3) seats. The SP-Congress alliance is projected to bag 120 (+/- 3) seats while the BSP comes third with 90 (+/- 3) seats.

    Punjab is another potboiler with a big change in the air as the ruling SAD-BJP combine seems to be taking a massive hit. The Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have come out as the biggest gainers from the scenario as they both are predicted to win 55 (+/- 3) seats each.

    NewsX-MRC Exit Poll data on Uttarakhand projects that the BJP may emerge as the winner with 38 (+ /- 3) seats. The poll data further suggests that the Congress is a close second with 30 (+/- 3) seats.

    NewsX-MRC Exit Poll survey for the recently concluded Goa Assembly Elections gives an indication of a hung house with BJP bagging 15 (+/- 3) seats while the Congress will get 10 (+/- 3) seats. In such a scenario, it would be interesting to see what role AAP plays which is predicted to make it big on 7 (+/- 3) seats.

  • Prabhu Chawla’s National Voice channel to focus on investigative journalism

    Prabhu Chawla’s National Voice channel to focus on investigative journalism

    MUMBAI: Seeing a need to break-free from the journalism that is followed on news channels, Prabhu Chawla is all geared up to launch a news channel called National Voice. With the core focus on laying out the problems and solutions of UP, Bihar and Uttarakhand, he will also launch other channels for the markets of Rajasthan, Punjab, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, etc.

    Chawla will be associated with the channel as its chief editorial advisor. The channel is majorly banking on investigative journalism and will use sting without stink, he says.

    With an aim to connect various states to one language, the new channel will strive on news first and views later. The motto of the channel is Aapka Sawal, Aapka Jawab. Commenting on the launch Chawla says, “We will fear none and favour none. We have built a team of professional editors who have a combined experience of 50 years in the television news genre. We have a heavily decentralised system in which each one takes an independent decision, but all think collectively”.

    The channel has two promoters – the main promoter is an UP-based industrialist while Chawla holds a minor stake in the channel. He also admits that many leading brands have approached him for sponsoring a couple of his channel’s shows, although he was reluctant at disclosing commercial details at this stage.

    The channel is banking on content, tone and its vision as its differentiating factor over the rest of the available channels. Focussed at answering the 5 Ws (what, when, why, where, who) and 1 H (how), the channel will chase the story and also provide follow-ups to its viewers. It is starting off with the heartland of the country and will be available on various DTH platforms.

    “We are taking UP to India, not India to UP like the national channels. We will go behind and beyond the news. Content is king for us and reporters are the best news smiths. Our channel will be not be led by anchors. On the contrary news will lead the anchor”, he reveals.

    Chawla is of the opinion that regional channels are more successful than English and national Hindi channels. His channel will manifest what the people want to see and are curious about and will connect to local people through their vision.

    After ideating for over a year, the channel’s logo has been designed by a group of young professionals and is all ready to come out by June. “It is not meant to be in the public domain. It is a team of young professional from a design institute who have been guided by experienced people”, concludes Chawla.

     

  • Prabhu Chawla’s National Voice channel to focus on investigative journalism

    Prabhu Chawla’s National Voice channel to focus on investigative journalism

    MUMBAI: Seeing a need to break-free from the journalism that is followed on news channels, Prabhu Chawla is all geared up to launch a news channel called National Voice. With the core focus on laying out the problems and solutions of UP, Bihar and Uttarakhand, he will also launch other channels for the markets of Rajasthan, Punjab, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, etc.

    Chawla will be associated with the channel as its chief editorial advisor. The channel is majorly banking on investigative journalism and will use sting without stink, he says.

    With an aim to connect various states to one language, the new channel will strive on news first and views later. The motto of the channel is Aapka Sawal, Aapka Jawab. Commenting on the launch Chawla says, “We will fear none and favour none. We have built a team of professional editors who have a combined experience of 50 years in the television news genre. We have a heavily decentralised system in which each one takes an independent decision, but all think collectively”.

    The channel has two promoters – the main promoter is an UP-based industrialist while Chawla holds a minor stake in the channel. He also admits that many leading brands have approached him for sponsoring a couple of his channel’s shows, although he was reluctant at disclosing commercial details at this stage.

    The channel is banking on content, tone and its vision as its differentiating factor over the rest of the available channels. Focussed at answering the 5 Ws (what, when, why, where, who) and 1 H (how), the channel will chase the story and also provide follow-ups to its viewers. It is starting off with the heartland of the country and will be available on various DTH platforms.

    “We are taking UP to India, not India to UP like the national channels. We will go behind and beyond the news. Content is king for us and reporters are the best news smiths. Our channel will be not be led by anchors. On the contrary news will lead the anchor”, he reveals.

    Chawla is of the opinion that regional channels are more successful than English and national Hindi channels. His channel will manifest what the people want to see and are curious about and will connect to local people through their vision.

    After ideating for over a year, the channel’s logo has been designed by a group of young professionals and is all ready to come out by June. “It is not meant to be in the public domain. It is a team of young professional from a design institute who have been guided by experienced people”, concludes Chawla.

     

  • UAE businesses pledge USD 3.68 billion at Times Now’s UP Investment Summit

    UAE businesses pledge USD 3.68 billion at Times Now’s UP Investment Summit

    MUMBAI: Times Now’s UP Investment Summit held recently in Dubai drew overwhelming response from UAE businesses. 

    The move comes close as UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav government launched an ambitious programme to boost all-round development of the state by attracting NRI investments across the globe, especially from the Middle East. Five leading Indian-owned businesses have committed more than Rs25,090 crore (USD 3.68 billion) towards infrastructure and industrial development initiatives launched by Uttar Pradesh. 

    UAE-based companies have signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with the high-level delegation of UP state officials visiting the UAE on Thursday, pledging to invest in the state’s upcoming manufacturing, utilities and healthcare initiatives. The names of the investors will be announced by the UP government in the coming weeks.

    The high-powered delegation of UP officials was led by Alok Ranjan, Chief Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh government, Manoj Singh, Managing Director of the Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation Ltd, Kanchan Verma, IAS Special Secretary (Infrastructure and Industries). The forum was supported by Indian Business and Professionals Council (IBPC) and attended by high-profile business leaders from the UAE.

    The forum focused on promoting trade, investment and economic cooperation between UP and the Middle East with the state offering investment opportunities in major sectors, including manufacturing (especially food processing), infrastructure, energy, power and healthcare.

    Speaking on this occasion, Uttar Pradesh government chief secretary Alok Ranjan said, “The state offers enormous possibilities of enterprise and success to Middle East entrepreneurs. It is the biggest emerging market in India and the government is determined to continuously improve industry-conducive climate. By simplifying procedures and sprucing up the investment mechanisms across the states, the government is ensuring that investors are provided the best services and facilities from the project beginning to its implementation”.

    TIMES NOW head of International business Naveen Chandra said “The diaspora is highly potent, India today receives more foreign exchange from remittances than from FDI. The central government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative has to effectively drill down to ‘Make in Indian States’ in reality for any impact and for achieving the broader objective, given our federal structure. It is TIMES NOW’s constant endeavour to connect the opportunity in Indian states to the diaspora and to create high impact engagement platforms in various markets around the world. We are happy to partner and connect UP with potential investors in this forum.”

    Over the past few months, Uttar Pradesh has taken a slew of measures in improving overall infrastructure & logistical facilities, including launching mega road projects, such as the 1047-km long, 8-lane Ganga Expressway along the course of the river Ganga, joining far east with national capital, Yamuna Expressway, likely to be completed soon to provide fast access to Agra and other major industrial cities such as Ghaziabad, Meerut, Hathras and a network of expressways are in the offing. 

    Numerous developmental projects in power, metro-rails, transport, education, health and urban rejuvenation are at different stages of implementation and there are many more in pipeline, reconfirming the state’s commitment to commercial opportunities for stability and growth.

    Uttar Pradesh is being recognized across the globe as an important investment destination, thanks to concerted efforts between the Yadav government and private sector players. Earlier this year, the Abu Dhabi-based Lulu Group announced that it would be investing Rs1000 crore (AED550 million) to set up a shopping mall, convention centre and five-star hotel in the state. Lulu’s initiative is expected to create more than 3,000 jobs once the project is completed.

    IBPC president Kulwant Singh said, “Smart partnerships are all about finding the right timing and momentum. Today is India’s time and our chance to invest. I believe that along with the opportunities in the region, there is also a perfect opportunity to invest back home in India, the first stop in the UAE’s ‘Look East’ policy. The UAE is keen to innovate and build a knowledge economy. Indian expertise could transform the next phase of development here, while India could gain from UAE investments for its Make in India campaign.”

    The session was moderated by Sunanda Jayaseelan, Senior Producer Features from a leading business news channel, and the show will be broadcast in over 80 countries, including the Middle East. 

  • UAE businesses pledge USD 3.68 billion at Times Now’s UP Investment Summit

    UAE businesses pledge USD 3.68 billion at Times Now’s UP Investment Summit

    MUMBAI: Times Now’s UP Investment Summit held recently in Dubai drew overwhelming response from UAE businesses. 

    The move comes close as UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav government launched an ambitious programme to boost all-round development of the state by attracting NRI investments across the globe, especially from the Middle East. Five leading Indian-owned businesses have committed more than Rs25,090 crore (USD 3.68 billion) towards infrastructure and industrial development initiatives launched by Uttar Pradesh. 

    UAE-based companies have signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with the high-level delegation of UP state officials visiting the UAE on Thursday, pledging to invest in the state’s upcoming manufacturing, utilities and healthcare initiatives. The names of the investors will be announced by the UP government in the coming weeks.

    The high-powered delegation of UP officials was led by Alok Ranjan, Chief Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh government, Manoj Singh, Managing Director of the Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation Ltd, Kanchan Verma, IAS Special Secretary (Infrastructure and Industries). The forum was supported by Indian Business and Professionals Council (IBPC) and attended by high-profile business leaders from the UAE.

    The forum focused on promoting trade, investment and economic cooperation between UP and the Middle East with the state offering investment opportunities in major sectors, including manufacturing (especially food processing), infrastructure, energy, power and healthcare.

    Speaking on this occasion, Uttar Pradesh government chief secretary Alok Ranjan said, “The state offers enormous possibilities of enterprise and success to Middle East entrepreneurs. It is the biggest emerging market in India and the government is determined to continuously improve industry-conducive climate. By simplifying procedures and sprucing up the investment mechanisms across the states, the government is ensuring that investors are provided the best services and facilities from the project beginning to its implementation”.

    TIMES NOW head of International business Naveen Chandra said “The diaspora is highly potent, India today receives more foreign exchange from remittances than from FDI. The central government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative has to effectively drill down to ‘Make in Indian States’ in reality for any impact and for achieving the broader objective, given our federal structure. It is TIMES NOW’s constant endeavour to connect the opportunity in Indian states to the diaspora and to create high impact engagement platforms in various markets around the world. We are happy to partner and connect UP with potential investors in this forum.”

    Over the past few months, Uttar Pradesh has taken a slew of measures in improving overall infrastructure & logistical facilities, including launching mega road projects, such as the 1047-km long, 8-lane Ganga Expressway along the course of the river Ganga, joining far east with national capital, Yamuna Expressway, likely to be completed soon to provide fast access to Agra and other major industrial cities such as Ghaziabad, Meerut, Hathras and a network of expressways are in the offing. 

    Numerous developmental projects in power, metro-rails, transport, education, health and urban rejuvenation are at different stages of implementation and there are many more in pipeline, reconfirming the state’s commitment to commercial opportunities for stability and growth.

    Uttar Pradesh is being recognized across the globe as an important investment destination, thanks to concerted efforts between the Yadav government and private sector players. Earlier this year, the Abu Dhabi-based Lulu Group announced that it would be investing Rs1000 crore (AED550 million) to set up a shopping mall, convention centre and five-star hotel in the state. Lulu’s initiative is expected to create more than 3,000 jobs once the project is completed.

    IBPC president Kulwant Singh said, “Smart partnerships are all about finding the right timing and momentum. Today is India’s time and our chance to invest. I believe that along with the opportunities in the region, there is also a perfect opportunity to invest back home in India, the first stop in the UAE’s ‘Look East’ policy. The UAE is keen to innovate and build a knowledge economy. Indian expertise could transform the next phase of development here, while India could gain from UAE investments for its Make in India campaign.”

    The session was moderated by Sunanda Jayaseelan, Senior Producer Features from a leading business news channel, and the show will be broadcast in over 80 countries, including the Middle East. 

  • Gujarat bags National award for Ease of Doing business in cinema, UP and Kerala get special mentions

    Gujarat bags National award for Ease of Doing business in cinema, UP and Kerala get special mentions

    New Delhi: Gujarat was named the Most Film-Friendly State at the 63rd National Film Awards here today. This is the first time that the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has bestowed this award in order to promote film tourism in states.

    Film Festivals Director Senthil Rajan said: “We had 16 entries from different states, and this is a major step by the Indian government to promote film tourism in the states because this sort of an award will enthuse the states.”

    He added: “We chose Gujarat primarily because of the efforts in the direction of ease of doing business and facilitation of films and towards the promotion of Indian cinema.”

    A special mention was also given to Uttar Pradesh for its single window clearance efforts and incentives offered by the government, and to Kerala.

    The awards were selected by a separate jury constituted by the Directorate of Film Festivals.

     

     

  • Gujarat bags National award for Ease of Doing business in cinema, UP and Kerala get special mentions

    Gujarat bags National award for Ease of Doing business in cinema, UP and Kerala get special mentions

    New Delhi: Gujarat was named the Most Film-Friendly State at the 63rd National Film Awards here today. This is the first time that the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has bestowed this award in order to promote film tourism in states.

    Film Festivals Director Senthil Rajan said: “We had 16 entries from different states, and this is a major step by the Indian government to promote film tourism in the states because this sort of an award will enthuse the states.”

    He added: “We chose Gujarat primarily because of the efforts in the direction of ease of doing business and facilitation of films and towards the promotion of Indian cinema.”

    A special mention was also given to Uttar Pradesh for its single window clearance efforts and incentives offered by the government, and to Kerala.

    The awards were selected by a separate jury constituted by the Directorate of Film Festivals.