Times Network hosts the 5th edition of Digital India Summit 2019

 

Mr Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Law & Justice and Electronics & Information Technology – “India could be a $ 3 Trillion economic in the next 4 to 5 years that that is the goal we have set. Digital India is designed to empower ordinary Indian’s. Our idea is to make India the biggest manufacturing hub in the field of electronics with one crore employment in the electronics sector and 35-40 lakhs in the software sector”.

Mr Rajan Mathew, Director General, COAI, “We are looking at $ 100 billion investment requirement which will primarily be driven by the private sector”.

Amit Malviya Social Media & IT Chief, BJP – “BJP dominates the digital space; hence we are often accused of things that we haven't done like spreading fake news which can be interpreted wrongly”.

New Delhi, March 13, 2019: TIMES NETWORK, India’s leading broadcast network, hosted the 5th edition of its landmark event, ‘Digital India Summit 2019’ today. Driving the 5th edition’s theme, ‘Unveiling India’s $ 1 Trillion Digital Dream’, the summit created conversations with the torch bearers of the digital universe to share their vision and insights to empower and transform India as the complete digital economy. 

Throwing the spotlight on fast-tracking Indian’s digital economy with more than 45 eminent speakers and 13 power packed sessions, Digital India Summit 2019 addressed the key sectors and industries in digital transformation including E-Campaigning, E-Health, E-Commerce, Financial Inclusion to Digital Payments, E-Food to Entertainment and Travel. Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Honorable Union Minister for Law & Justice and Electronics & Information Technology, delivered the keynote address highlighting the key contributing factors in achieving India’s $ 1 Trillion Digital Dream and Dinesh Kumar Garg, Executive Director - Union Bank of India, deliberated on Digital India with a focus on digital economy and financial inclusion.

 MK Anand, MD & CEO, Times Network said, “With a view to bring public attention to the efforts underway in driving the world’s fastest growing major digital economy, Digital India Summit unveils India’s $1 Trillion Digital Economy dream, addressing the possibilities and challenges across key domains which are critical components in digital transformation.”

Speaking at the Digital India Summit, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister of Law& Justice and Electronics & Information Technology said, “The  IT industry is present in 200 cities of 80 countries with a turnover of 167 billion plus,125 billion exports, employing 40 lakh people directly and 1.25 crore indirectly, the industry employs 33% women and they are rising by the day”.

“Digital India is designed to empower ordinary Indian’s, the entire digital ecosystem has advanced in the last few years and we wish to keep this momentum. Our Digital initiatives have empowered nearly 1.5 crore students with e-scholarship worth 5000 along with our initiative of Ayushman Bharat, 50 crore Indians are going to get assistance. In November 2016, there were only 4000 transactions per day on BHIM UPI app and in December 2018 it has reached 2 crores transaction per day, this is being propelled by people living in smaller cities”.

“Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad further stated that there was a time when India consisted of only 2 mobile manufacturers and today there are 127 mobile manufacturers making India the second largest mobile manufacturing country only second after China. Our idea is to make India the biggest manufacturing hub in the field of electronics with one crore employment in the electronics sector and 35-40 lakhs in the software sector”.

“India has become the 2nd largest start-up movement in the world with the valuation of Unicorn is higher than in the UK. Concluding, he added that any data imperialism will not be acceptable, we are creating India’s IT(Information Technology) + IT (India’s Talent) = ITIT, India could be a $ 3 Trillion economic in the next 4 to 5 years that that is the goal we have set”.

Dinesh Kumar Garg, Executive Director - Union Bank of India, said, “Digital India is one of the biggest government programs in the world to bring about sustainable and inclusive societal transformation using digital technologies. The process of making India into a trillion-dollar digital economy has begun and Digital India is making this dream a reality. Technology is already playing a crucial role in driving financial inclusion of the under-banked as well as the un-banked population in the country. Digital India is the biggest step towards Digital Economy & Financial Inclusion. We at Union Bank Of India are committed to helping India achieve its digital vision. We are proud to partner Times Network in this impact initiative”.

Amit Malviya, IT Chief, BJP shared views on the digital impact on consumers, "The disruption in social media has caused a lot of change and has given easy access to consumers to share their views and today it is so powerful that it has become a mainstream platform. BJP dominates the digital space; hence we are often accused of things that we haven't done like spreading fake news which can be interpreted wrongly. Today, there are several platforms and millions of people using apps like TikTok, Sharechat, Facebook. Such apps keep tier2, tier3 cities well informed and cannot be deceived by fake news".

Vineet Arora, MD & CEO, Aegon Life Insurance Company Limited, India, said, “India has been in the process of gearing up for a digital economy over the last few years. The Indian insurance sector specifically is increasingly embracing digitisation in line with the government’s ‘Digital India’ initiative. In the digital age, customers are demanding simple terms, transparency, easy-to-understand benefits, and increased automation. Even traditional Indian enterprises are also compelled to go digital. Aegon Life is the pioneer of digital insurance in India and we constantly endeavour to infuse digital for ease of buying of the customer. Digital bears the potential of working as a catalyst for the noteworthy growth of the insurance industry.”

Speaking on ‘Is India 5G ready’?  Rajan Mathew, Director General, COAI said, “ India is still behind in the race for 5G, there is tremendous long-term investment required to get our 4G networks in shape, keeping in mind capacity and quality issues. We are looking at $ 100 billion investment requirement which will primarily be driven by the private sector and unless issues of financial stress are dealt with, we are far from reaching the 5G era. We seek the government’s attention to this, allowing telecom players to make essential investments to take the country towards a robust 4G and then question ourselves, are we 5G ready?

Attended by some of the most valued dignitaries in India across sectors, the summit witnessed a diverse network of thought leaders, digital gurus, policymakers addressing the audience through a series of panel discussions and deliberations on enabling the country’s greater digital progress. The notable speakers at the summit included Amit Malviya, Social Media & IT Strategist – BJP, Aashish Yadav, Social media & IT Strategist - SP & BSP , Ankit Lal, Social Media & IT Strategist - AAP, Nath Parameswaran, India Director – Paypal,  Rajan Mathews, Director General -, Cellular Operators Association of India, , Deep Kalra, Founder & Group CEO - Make My Trip and Upasana Taku, Founder & CEO – Mobikwik, Tarun Katial, CEO -ZEE5 and Amanpreet Bajaj, Country Manager - Airbnb among others.

The 5th Digital India Summit 2019 is presented by Union Bank of India, digital insurance partner - Aegon Life Insurance, OTT partner - MX Player, associate partner – Toshiba, CSR partner -Honda, digital cinema partner – UFO Movies and solution partner – SAP.

Platinum Jewellery stirred by Art

RAJIV POPLEY LAUNCHES AN ART INSPIRED PLATINUM JEWELLERY COLLECTION

Mumbai, March 11, 2019: In a unique effort, renowned jeweller & a fêted artist Rajiv Popley merges two art forms to bring to you an exquisite line of platinum jewellery inspired by his own collection of paintings. A curated collection that can never be made twice, all originals in rare and precious – Platinum

Deeply inspired by Salvador Dali, his newest series of oil on canvas models surrealism at its core immersing a spiritual and meditative feature. This new promising series is blended with Hindu culture and the land of Kabir - Kaashi.

One of the most captivating pieces named “Kaashi Nath” is inspired from the tranquil phenomenon at Kashi where the sun rises, the bells ring & the holy fire purifies the air. The yellow sapphire surrounded with rose cuts set in platinum, circled by enamel and baroque pearls symbolises the serenity at Kaashi during the sunrise aarti on the Ganga ghats
Another riveting piece from this collection is named the “Circle of Life” which embodies the entangled nature of life, death and infinite nature of energy. The flamingos – a powerful animal totem in the spiritual universe, symbolizes the release of old emotions and represents new experiences that journey along the circle of life. Taking inspiration from this, is the ethereal pair of earrings crafted in platinum combined with pink gold in alternating design, depicting eternity. The flamingo wings are fabricated in Platinum & Rose gold embedded with Rose Cut Solitaires outlined with hallow of brilliant cut diamonds
This piece of art also extends inspiration to another striking pendant symbolic of the blue moon in the painting. As the blue moon glows in the light of the Sun, while the flamingios dance happily...blue sapphire set in pink gold dangles from the radial star of marquise rose cuts set in platinum centered with yellow sapphire.

Speaking on this specially curated collection Rajiv Popley said, "I have expressed my passion by creating art-on-canvas that will adorn the wall & then translated this into platinum ornaments as art to be worn & flaunted".

In a tribute to Kabir, Rajiv interprets the famous poem– “I said to my longing heart, what is this river you want to cross?  There are no travellers before you, there is no road. Do you see anyone moving or resting on that bank? There is no river at all, and no boat, and no boatman. There is not even a rope to tow the boat, and no one to pull it. There is no earth, no sky, no time, no thing, no shore, no ford!” on canvas.  This doha entrancingly translates into a piece of jewellery symbolic of victory of the spirit over the senses, of intelligence & wisdom, of knowledge. Blue petals woven onto blue enamel unfurl to reveal the lustre of the diamonds set with pristine pearls

 

Rare and precious, platinum jewellery is truly a perennial artist favourite. All over the world, designers prefer precious platinum to create master pieces because of its versatility, and because it is the most secure setting for any precious gemstone. It’s no surprise that Rajiv chose the rarest of metals Platinum to interpret his artwork

About Rajiv Popley

Rajiv Popley is a third Generation Jeweller who is passionate about design & colours. He expresses himself not only through gemstones & metal but also through Oil & Canvas.

This love for colours journeyed through his childhood and matured into a passion in the recent years. Since then he has been painting & displaying his works Solo. He has exhibited at curated shows at both International & national venues namely, Artexpo New York, Jaipur Art Summit, Bombay Art Society & now at D/code Design Show 2019.

Inspired by works of Salvador Dali, he has taken surrealism into his stride & has adapted & blended his works on spirituality & meditative nature.

Rajiv is a qualified jeweller with a flair in jewellery fabrication. He is currently the only one in India to be working on Art Deco jewellery in Platinum which has been accredited by the Platinum Guild International too. This collection in Platinum, Emeralds, Rubies & Rose cut diamonds was previewed along with Oil on Canvas artworks & artefacts at the D/code Design show 2019.

AVON kickstarts Women’s Day campaign ‘Looks Like Freedom’

 New Delhi: March 8th, 2019: AVON, the 130-year-old women’s beauty brand has been always standing for women empowerment and giving them freedom to live their lives their way. This Women’s Day AVON is launching a campaign which helps them to celebrate womanhood though out the year and not only just one day. The campaign is called ‘Looks Like Freedom’ and the objective of the campaign is to challenge social norms in India around the role of women and encourages women to choose their lives unapologetically. The campaign will go live on AVON digital platforms on 8^th March 2019.

AVON is beginning the campaign with a concept of 8 to  (8 to infinity) as AVON not only celebrates women on 8^th March but every day of the year.

AVON has a full range of innovative products that suit every choice of beauty and has a democratic approach to beauty and self-expression. AVON believes in beauty democracy and provides biggest range of products to suit everyone for every occasion, every time with “No Rules, No Labels, No Judgement”.

“AVON is committed to providing women with an identity of their own and the freedom to live their life their way. As an organisation, we have always encouraged women to be independent and have given them the freedom to earn and learn. We are launching this campaign to encourage people not to celebrate women’s day just one day but every day of the year. We believe that women should live their lives without regrets and boundaries “says Swati Jain, Marketing Director AVON.

The main objective of this campaign is to promote women empowerment and break outdated social standards which can encourage women to live an unapologetic life. Through this campaign AVON celebrates the undying spirit of women.

About AVON

For 130 years AVON has stood for women: providing innovative, quality beauty products which are primarily sold to women, through women.  Millions of independent Representatives across the world sell iconic AVON brands such as AVON Color and ANEW through their social networks, building their own beauty businesses on a full- or part-time basis.  AVON supports women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship and well-being and has donated over $1billion to women’s causes through AVON and the AVON Foundation.  Learn more about AVON and its products at www.avonworldwide.com.  #Stand4Her

IT’S TIME TO GET YOUR BUSINESS NOTICED! WRITE YOUR SUCCESS STORY WITH INORBIT’S PINK POWER SEASON 5

~Winners get a chance to win a free retail space at Inorbit mall for 9 months~

Mumbai, 8^th March 2019 – On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Inorbit mall announced Season 5 of their annual marketing property – PINK POWER. As the name suggests, Pink Power aims to empower women entrepreneurs through this initiative by creating a business platform at Inorbit malls across all 5 geographies and enabling them to build their brand.

Starting 8th March, women entrepreneurs are invited to submit their business ideas and embark on a successful journey. All they need to do is to submit their existing business plan, however big or small, by logging on to www.inorbit.in/pinkpower  The online form allows one to choose categories like Apparel, Accessories, Footwear, Bags, Stationery (Gift Articles), Handicraft, Home Décor and Food & Beverage. Pink Power contest is open for women in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Vadodara. The last day of the registration is 15th April 2019.

Shortlisted participants will go through a series of rounds and will compete for the title. Winners will be given free retail kiosk space at the mall for a period of 9 months. That’s not all, they will also be provided marketing support by Inorbit throughout the period of the kiosk to give their brand visibility. Mall will also enable them to participate in various In Mall events.

 “Lot of women have great business ideas but not the resources to bring them to life. Pink Power is a collective effort of Inorbit and multiple partnering brands that encourage women to pursue their dream and help them build their own retail brand. Now that the entries for the fifth season are open, we invite women entrepreneurs to register and jumpstart their ambition. We are celebrating Pink Power with a brand film that showcases inspirational women who had the courage to follow their dreams and the determination to make it happen. We want to convey to all aspiring entrepreneurs that they can be next.” Said Naviin Ibhrampurkar, Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications

Over the last four seasons, Pink Power has emerged as one of the most loved campaigns amongst women entrepreneurs. Inorbit Mall is excited about its 5^th season of Pink Power and is hoping for a great participation.

For submission of entries, please click on http://www.inorbit.in/pinkpower

Celebrate Women’s Day with Flamingo range of Lifestyle & Healthcare products that can be used in office, gym & home

                                   

                                                                           

Premium Exercise Bands, Sauna Belt, Maternity Belt, Abdominal Binder, Below Knee Stockings, Anti-Skid Socks for all age-groups, available anytime anywhere

Special offer of 10% off on Comfort, Premium, Lifestyle, Pediatric Wound-care, & Mobility range of products; No delivery charges for spends above Rs. 200

Mumbai, 7 March 2019: Ascent Meditech Limited, a leading player in Orthopedic Soft Goods, Mobility, Wound-care and Healthcare products, having a female to male ratio of 48:52 celebrates International Women’s Day with a series of Flamingo range of lifestyle and healthcare products that can be used by girls and women across all age-groups for regular day-to-day activities and all stages of life.

In the lifestyle, Flamingo has products for gym such as Premium Exercise Bands – used to strengthen, tone, shape muscles as well as for rehabilitation of muscles. They help to increase strength, stamina and coordination. They can be used by individuals and in clinics. 

The Heat Therapy range comprises of Sauna Belt, Heat Belt (Travel) and Premium Heat Belt amongst others.

At work, Flamingo offers the Back Rest Series including Foam Back Rest, Memory Foam Back Rest. The abdominal belt, abdominal binder, below knee stockings and maternity belt below provide relief to pregnant women pre and post-delivery. The Diabetes Socks, Diabetes Socks with Anti-Skid and Anti-Skid Socks also help pregnant & elder women.

Mr. Rajiv Mistry, Founder & MD, Ascent Meditech Ltd., said, ‘’Women want to look/ be perfect, fulfil their aspirations and succeed at every life stage. They are in the lookout for lifestyle aids that help in partaking diverse activities efficiently – be it work, play or managing households. We, at Ascent Meditech Ltd., address their life stage, mindset and personality traits to offer solutions using state-of-the-art technology. Our Flamingo range of offerings is specifically designed to provide support to women consumers looking forward to lead an active lifestyle.’’

The Company has appointed Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan as the brand ambassador for their flagship brand ‘Flamingo’. Adhering to international certification standards for medical products, the Flamingo range of 320+ products, are accepted by consumers in 47 countries globally. The epitome of super-human fitness and dancer par excellence, Hrithik Roshan unveiled the teaser of a new consumer awareness campaign titled ‘An Aid for a New Life’ marking his brand endorsement of Flamingo Orthopedic Soft Goods, Mobility, Wound-care and Healthcare products.

The Company has launched its e-commerce platform www.flamingohealth.com making its flagship brand Flamingo products available anytime, anywhere across the country. The Company's e-commerce platform flamingohealth.com will initially focus on 110 products (available in multiple SKUs) out of the total portfolio of over 320+ products. The product mix maintained for the e-commerce platform comprises of OTC as well as RX products, with majority being OTC products. The product range is segregated into 6 categories: Comfort Range: For Back, Shoulder, Arm, Leg, Knee, Ankle, Compression Aids and Splints; Premium Range: Regular Premium, Neoprene; Lifestyle Range: For Heat Therapy, Cold Therapy, Back Rest, Cushions, Sports; Pediatric Range: For Kids; Wound-care Range: Bandages for everyday use; Mobility Range: Crutches, Walkers. Products across the 6 categories are available at a discount of 10% to the MRP. Ascent Meditech has tied up with FedEx for product fulfillment across the length and breadth of the country. There is a flat 10% discount for all purchases made on www.flamingohealth.com. On purchase of Rs. 200 and above, consumers need not pay any Delivery Charges.

LF 91 A Heritage Food Festival by Zee LIVE and Living Foodz

Mumbai, 4^th March 2019: Zee Live and Living Foodz announces LF 91, a heritage food festival which is an endeavor to bring regional heritage food to the urban heartlands. The festival will be held on March 9^th and 10^th at the Turf Club, Mumbai.

In its first edition, LF 91 brings the South of India to Mumbai. Hundreds of authentic dishes from the deep corners of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu will make their way to the maximum city of Mumbai. The festival will have food prepared by outlets, street food specialists and generations of authentic South Indian destinations plated in 4 state zones at the Turf Club in Mumbai.

The festival will also have special recipes curated by celebrity chefs, Rakesh Raghunathan and Chef Shipra Khanna. Additionally, there will be masterclasses by Chef Shipra Khanna on 9th of March and Rakesh Raghunathan on 10th of March. LF 91 will also witness soulful music and by Agnee, Masala Coffee, One plate Idli, Raghu Dixit Project and striking performances by Nishant Suri , Rahul Dua and Rahul Subramanian.

While you get to choose from a multitude of lip-smacking choices in these 4 zones, LF 91 for the first time in a food festival will attempt a limited heritage brunch and a community long table for the Kerala Sadhya. One also gets to pick their favourite spices, pickles, papadams at the Spice Bazaar. LF91 will host an exclusive Kids Zone wherein there will be activities like free play and chef experiences for the little one.

Date: March 9 – 10^th, 2019

Venue: Turf Club, Mahalakshmi Race Course

Timings: 12 p.m. onwards

Tickets available at: insider.in

Singaporean artists add colour to Delhi’s streets

~ Singapore Tourism Board organised a three-day experiential festival showcasing the works of Singaporean talents in the fields of art, music and food

New Delhi, March 1st, 2019: The Singapore Tourism Board (STB), in partnership with St+art India Foundation and Impressario Group, marked the second phase of its brand campaign ‘Passion Made Possible’ with a three-day experiential festival – Singapore Weekender.  The festival showcased the talents of a dozen Singaporean artists through a mix of art installations, wall murals, interactive workshops and live performances in New Delhi.

South Delhi neighbourhood Lodhi Colony saw a burst of colours as the artists transformed the walls into life-size murals and integrating Augmented Reality (AR) in art forms to create new dimensions. The Singaporean artists, Yip Yew Chong, Eugene Soh, Yok & Sheryo and Sam Lo incorporated their perspectives of the world in their artwork as they gave the Indian audience a glimpse into the Lion City’s arts and culture. Visitors to the ‘Singapore Weekender’ also had a chance to view ‘Atypical Singapore’, an art and AR technology showcase which is part of the STB’s ‘Passion Made Possible’ latest wave of global campaign, at Kona in Jor Bagh.

Singaporean installation artist, Tan Zi Xi won a lot of appreciation for her work, which was exhibited in two parts – a courtyard mural and an installation room. While the mural focused on a multi-dimensional perspective of pollution on earth, the installation looked at a dystopian world of mankind’s new living spaces in the following centuries. Sharing her experience of being a part of the festival, she said, “India is a country with so many cultures and stories. Being a part of the Singapore Weekender for the second time has been a phenomenal experience for me. I learn about the similarities both the countries have when it comes to a global issue like pollution and the problems faced by mankind. In 2017, when I came to India for the first edition of the festival, I created the Plastic Ocean to give the Indian audience a perspective of the growing issue of contamination in water bodies across the globe. My passion for the environment and the language of art helps me put across my perspective as an installation that would resonate the same.”

Tech Guru, Brandon Tay, had set up an interactive art installation using CGI called – Façade. It depicted a series of faces that changed basis the time of the day and the movement of people across the installation space.

Talking about their work, artists Yok & Sheryo said, “In this digital era, we barely understand how much is real and how much is created. We have built a dependency on social media and the digital framework of our gadgets and have lost ourselves in them. Our installation depicts this interdependent freedom that we have built for ourselves and talk about how this is a commonly shared problem across the world. Although we are heavily inspired by the South East Asian culture, we see a close similarity in Indian art. Singapore and India are not so different when it comes to the expression of their heritage and art and it is the inclusivity of a global perspective that makes this experience a lot more enjoyable.”

Atypical Singapore, a showcase commissioned by the STB put together a diverse array of interactive events and brought in a seamless blend of modern and traditional art by incorporating the use of augmented reality, moving images, illustrations and visual effects. This travelling showcase has been to Russia and Myanmar before arriving in India.

Reviving the art of creating Zines, were the dynamic duo Knuckles and Notch who collaborated with Bombay Underground and Delhi-based Working Hours Collective. While interacting with the audience and giving them a glimpse of their work during their workshop, they went on to talk about the importance of bringing Zines back into the literary art scene as a unique storytelling medium.

The Singapore Weekender also saw an exciting nightlife and entertainment evening, themed as ‘#PartyLikeInSg’, at Hauz Khas antiSocial. The evening featured an exclusive bar pop-up by popular Singaporean bar, Jigger & Pony where Jerrold Khoo, award-winning Singaporean mixologist, rustled up refreshing cocktails for the guests alongside Gresham Fernandes, Culinary Director of the Impresario group, who created mouth-watering Singapore-inspired tapas. Indian rapper Prabh Deep enthralled the crowd with his Punjabi-English hip-hop tracks. The party night was rounded off by the latest rapping sensation from Singapore, Yung Raja as he belted out his Tamil-English rap-hits on stage to a crowd of dancing party-goers.

Speaking about the second edition of the Singapore Weekender, Mr. GB Srithar, Regional Director- South Asia, Middle East & Africa (SAMEA), STB, said, “The Singapore Weekender was a celebration of the passions of Singaporean artists and brought to the Indian audiences a different side of the city. We were happy to partner St+art India Foundation and Impressario Group for the second time and put together a multi-track programme, as part of their Art Festival, reaching out to the passion tribes of Socialisers and Culture Shapers. The Singaporean artists enjoyed themselves displaying their artworks, installations and music and interacting with appreciative and highly enthusiastic visitors to the Festival. The art murals at Lodhi Colony will continue to enthral visitors and add to the artistic colours and vibrancy of the place.” 

While the Singapore Weekender (15 – 17 February 2019) has concluded, the Lodhi Art Festival, including works by the Singaporean artists, continues with curated tours at Lodhi Art District and immersive walkthrough multimedia experience at Kona in Jor Bagh. Art enthusiasts can view and experience the artworks of the Singaporean artists at Lodhi Colony (Between blocks 13 and 16) and Kona, Jor Bagh before 10 March 2019.

Goa Tourism bags two prestigious India Today Tourism Awards

Adjudged as Best State and Best Beaches/Coastal Destination (Palolem)

Panjim, Feb 27: Goa has been recognized as ‘Best State – Travellers’ Choice’ and ‘Best Beaches/Coastal Destination (Palolem- Goa)’ at the India Today Tourism Survey & Awards 2019.

The Hon’ble Minister for Tourism, Govt.  Of Goa, Mr. Manohar Ajgaonkar today hailed Goa Tourism’s achievement. He said, “I have always been reinforcing the fact that Goa is the top tourist destination in India and we have taken several measures to ensure that remains at the top across all parameters which includes safety of tourists, cleanliness and hygiene, infrastructure development, new tourism initiatives and more.”

Mr. Ajgaonkar’s jubilant reaction comes soon after Goa Tourism was presented with the two prestigious India Today Tourism awards by Mr.  K J Alphons, the Hon’ble  Union Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge), in New Delhi this Monday.

Best state for travel: While beaches are the mainstay of Goa’s tourism landscape, the state has a lot to offer in terms of culture, adventure, wellness and more. Goa has the finest, most well-maintained beaches in India. And what makes it so special is that each beach has a distinct personality. The north and south are as different as chalk and cheese in terms of topography, food and activities on offer. Goa is for the tourist who loves nature, enjoys the sunny beaches, is a foodie, loves art, wants to study its brilliant architecture,  or tour of a spice or cashew estate. In recent times, the state has also emerged as a destination for spiritual seekers as its natural beauty and Zen personality attracts yoga lovers and alternative medical practitioners by the dozens.

Best beach or coastal destination: Palolem beach, located in southern Goa, emerged as the most favoured beach in India, given its location, natural beauty and the range of activities on offer. It has been described as one beach that caters to both families and backpackers. Palolem has held its position as one of the finest beaches in Goa because of the diversity in experiences it offers: Its bamboo hut shacks, locals selling their colourful wares, yoga, spirituality etc.

The India Today Tourism Awards 2019 recognises popular travel destinations and attractions across the country in a range of categories. This year it commissioned market research company IPSOS to sample opinion through online and offline surveys in 10 urban locations from all corners of India. The list of winners reflects the public thirst for variety: From thronging beaches to mountain wild­er­nesses, and from riverbanks to highways. To keep things interesting, it also introduced some novel categories, such as 'Iconic Landscapes' and 'Scenic Roads’.