Delhi, August 24, 2026: College Rivals Season 4, India’s premier collegiate gaming and youth culture movement, today announced EA SPORTS as its Official Game Partner for the upcoming season, bringing EA SPORTS FC Mobile to campuses across India.

With an estimated 300 million football fans, India is one of the world’s largest football audiences. The collaboration reflects the growing intersection of football, gaming and youth culture, bringing one of the world’s leading football gaming experiences closer to the country’s next generation of gamers.

The partnership aims to bring its games closer to India’s next generation of gaming enthusiasts by making it a core part of the College Rivals experience. Across 80+ colleges in 35+ cities, students will engage through on-campus activations, competitive esports formats, creator-led experiences and community initiatives, also leveraging College Rivals’ nationwide student ambassador network.

As India’s largest collegiate gaming and youth culture movement, College Rivals continues to expand across multiple gaming platforms, spanning mobile, PC and console experiences. The partnership further reinforces this vision, bringing one of the world’s biggest football gaming franchises into the College Rivals ecosystem. It expands opportunities for students to connect, play, and compete, while celebrating the passion, creativity and competitive spirit of young gamers across the country.

The collaboration will also explore campaigns aligned with key gaming and entertainment moments throughout the season, including opportunities around the highly anticipated launch of EA SPORTS FC 27, further strengthening the connection between football gaming, youth culture and campus communities.

Season 4 marks College Rivals’ most ambitious edition yet, featuring a season-long calendar of campus activations, online competitions and community-led experiences across 100+ colleges in 40+ cities.  Built for India’s Gen Z audience, the platform merges gaming, pop culture, music, and dance through immersive experiences. GamingCon Bharat will serve as one of several marquee on-ground moments during the season, alongside digital experiences and campus engagement across the country.

Commenting on the partnership, Ashutosh Sharma, Head of Publishing for India and SEA, EA SPORTS said, “India is an incredibly exciting market for gaming, with a young, connected audience and a deep passion for football. Our partnership with College Rivals gives us an opportunity to bring EA SPORTS FC Mobile closer to students in an authentic, community-led way, creating more opportunities for players to connect, compete and share their love of the world’s game. We are excited to work with College Rivals to build meaningful experiences across campuses and strengthen our connection with the next generation of players in India.”

Charlie Baillie, CEO Ampverse Group, said, “College Rivals has always been about building communities and creating meaningful opportunities for young audiences to engage with gaming and entertainment. Our partnership with EA SPORTS strengthens this vision by bringing one of the world’s most recognised football gaming experiences closer to India’s college ecosystem. Together, we aim to create experiences that go beyond competition and help foster a deeper connection between students, gaming and youth culture.”

Through this partnership, College Rivals and EA SPORTS FC Mobile Season Update aim to further strengthen the gaming ecosystem in India by creating accessible and engaging experiences for students while celebrating the passion, creativity and competitive spirit of young gamers across the country.

The appointments bring seasoned banking, treasury and governance experience to slice as it enters its next phase of growth. Samir Sawhney brings over three decades of banking experience in India and abroad, spanning treasury and investment management, retail operations, marketing and human resources. Until recently, he served as chief executive of RMBS Development Company, set up by the National Housing Bank to develop India’s residential mortgage-backed securities market. Before that, he spent over 34 years at State Bank of India. As Chief General Manager, Global Markets, he headed the bank’s treasury, managing a domestic portfolio of over Rs. 16.5 lakh crore and foreign assets of over $10 billion. He also served as Chairman of FEDAI, representing banks on foreign exchange matters in their engagement with the Reserve Bank of India.

Commenting on his appointment, Samir Sawhney, Executive Director, slice, said: “slice is building a bank for a new India, one where technology brings banking to more people at a fraction of the traditional cost. I have spent my career in banking and treasury across cycles and am excited to bring that experience to a young institution that is thinking about banking in a fresh way. I look forward to working with Rajan and the team as slice builds for the long term.”

Ramesh Kumar brings more than 30 years of leadership experience across banking, financial services, technology and digital innovation. He spent two decades at ICICI Bank as Head of Technology Management Group and Software Development, where he led technology strategy, infrastructure and mobile and digital banking platforms serving millions of customers. Earlier, he led core banking implementation at State Bank of India. His focus areas include technology governance, cybersecurity, operational resilience and digital transformation. Mr Kumar has previously worked closely with slice as an advisor during its integration and merger with North East Small Finance Bank.

Ramesh Kumar, Independent Director, slice, said: “I have watched slice closely, including during its merger with North East Small Finance Bank, and how it is using technology to reimagine banking. Strong technology governance and operational resilience are the foundation of trust in banking, and I look forward to contributing to slice’s journey as it builds a modern, safe and customer-first bank.”

Rajan Bajaj, MD & CEO, slice, said: “To have two board members of this experience, and rarer still to find it together, means a great deal to us.

We are a young bank earning its place among the best-run institutions in India. Having people on our board who have seen banking across cycles, and who believe in what technology can do for the customer, makes us stronger. We are very early in what is possible, and I am glad to have them with us for the journey ahead.”

The bank will continue to combine steady growth with responsible underwriting while investing in technology that keeps banking simple and intuitive.

Mumbai: Within India’s expanding professional learning market, a distinct pattern is beginning to emerge. Women are choosing structured, credential-backed programmes across healthcare, human resources, leadership, finance, technology and project management. TimesPro’s application data shows that women account for 28% of all programme applications on the platform. Their presence is particularly pronounced in disciplines centred on people, organisations and care, while participation is also visible across finance, technology and strategy, areas where female representation has traditionally been more uneven.

India’s ambition to bring more women into economic activity has become increasingly explicit. The Union Budget 2025–26 placed women-led development within the wider Viksit Bharat vision, with an ambition of having 70% of women engaged in economic activities by 2047. Translating that ambition into meaningful workforce participation will depend not only on women entering employment, but also on their ability to remain, progress and take on greater responsibility across sectors. Against this backdrop, professional learning assumes particular relevance. Structured programmes with recognised credentials can help women deepen domain knowledge, build capabilities for changing roles and strengthen their professional standing as they navigate different stages of their careers.

The TimesPro data makes these choices more visible. In human resource management, women constitute 62% of programme applicants, making them a clear majority in a field that has itself evolved from a largely administrative function into one with significant influence over talent, culture and organisational strategy. In healthcare management, women represent 47% of applicants, reflecting their substantial presence in a sector undergoing rapid professionalisation. Women also account for 32% of applicants to leadership and strategy programmes and 28% across finance and technology, disciplines in which representation has historically been less balanced. Significantly, the application-to-enrolment conversion rate for women is 28%, the same as for men, suggesting no discernible difference in follow-through once the decision to apply has been made. 

Dr. Brillian S.K., Chief People Officer and Head – Places & Processes, TimesPro, said “What interests me most is not only where women are applying, but the seriousness with which they are making those choices. We are seeing women invest in capabilities that can broaden the scope of their careers, from people leadership and healthcare to finance, AI-led technology and strategy. It tells us that professional learning is becoming an important part of how women prepare themselves for greater responsibility and longer-term career progression.”

Taken together, the data points to something larger than participation in individual programmes. Women are increasingly using professional learning as the medium to strengthen their position in the labour market and prepare for roles with greater complexity and responsibility. Learning alone cannot close the gender gap, but access to credible, relevant professional education can become an important part of that progression. As India works towards its workforce participation ambitions and a more inclusive economy, the demand for such pathways is likely to assume greater significance. For TimesPro, the pattern emerging from the data is clear: women are approaching professional learning not as a peripheral credential, but as a considered investment in where they want their careers to go.

Moving beyond the conventional brother-sister narrative, the campaign explores a broader and more relatable idea of bhaichara, the unspoken bond of support, affection, and loyalty shared across relationships. Through six episodes, ‘Makeup Ka Bhaichara’ brings these moments to life through a mix of humour, emotion, and everyday relatability. The campaign captures the little fights, inside jokes, shared chaos, and quiet gestures of care that make relationships special, offering a contemporary take on what Rakhi can mean to today’s consumers.

Commenting on the campaign, Mihir Jain, Director, Insight Cosmetics, said, “This Rakhi, we wanted to celebrate the feeling behind Rakhi, the people who have your back, in big ways and small. That’s what led to ‘Makeup Ka Bhaichara.’ Our collaboration with Zepto and Smoor allowed us to take that idea beyond content and turn it into an experience. From the nostalgia of Rakhi ka meetha to getting your beauty favourites delivered through Zepto, we wanted the entire experience to feel surprising, relevant, and genuinely fun.”

Taking the campaign from screen to doorstep, Insight Cosmetics has collaborated exclusively with Zepto to introduce the ‘Makeup Ka Bhaichara’ Celebration Edit, bringing together beauty and festive indulgence in one curated box. The limited-edition edit pairs Insight Cosmetics’ beauty offerings with Smoor Chocolates, adding a premium take to the traditional Rakhi custom of sharing something sweet.

Kuch meetha chahiye? Mil jayega.
Kuch makeup chahiye? Woh bhi Zepto pe mil jayega.
Bhaichara celebrate karna hai? Ab woh bhi with Insight X Zepto.

Insight cosmetics X Zepto Special : https://www.instagram.com/p/DcLnWvXoSfY/

Episode 1 Bhaichara Campaign  : https://www.instagram.com/p/DcQweY1NcsB/

Episode 2 Bhaichara Campaign : https://www.instagram.com/p/DcV6DG8tE_v/

The initiative will also offer intensive, job-ready training to 10,000 participants through the AWS re/Start programme, covering areas such as cloud infrastructure, security, networking and AI fundamentals. Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Jayant Chaudhary said the programme aligns with the vision of Viksit Bharat by ensuring that young people, regardless of their location or background, can access opportunities and acquire skills required for future technology-driven jobs.

INDIA — Aug. 20, 2026 — Nutanix (NASDAQ: NTNX), a hybrid cloud leader and AI innovator, and ChronoScale Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: CHRN), an accelerated compute platform purpose-built to support demanding artificial intelligence workloads, today announced a strategic partnership to jointly deliver enterprise-ready AI infrastructure and help accelerate adoption of AI services across global markets.

The partnership brings together complementary capabilities enterprise customers have historically had to assemble themselves — combining Nutanix’s full portfolio of agentic AI solutions with ChronoScale’s accelerated compute, enterprise AI foundry, and outcome-driven delivery model.

ChronoScale and Nutanix Platform Integration

ChronoScale plans to leverage Nutanix software within its AI infrastructure platform to help deliver a broad portfolio of accelerated compute and AI services. The parties expect Nutanix software to help support customer onboarding, tenant management, service automation, virtualized infrastructure, managed Kubernetes environments, and advanced AI service offerings. ChronoScale’s platform is designed to support a broad ecosystem of technology partners. The companies also intend to jointly maintain demonstration and proof-of-concept environments to support customer evaluations and accelerate adoption of agentic AI solutions in the enterprise.

Extended GPU capacity, on-premises and beyond

ChronoScale plans to extend the Nutanix on-premises cloud footprint with elastic access to modern GPU capacity. Customers are expected to be able to procure reserved capacity through ChronoScale GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) for predictable workloads, or draw on ChronoScale Token Factory — pre-paid inference tokens backed by leading open-source models — for burst and experimental workloads. The parties intend to integrate both offerings with the Nutanix enterprise AI offerings, including Agent Gateway and Private Inferencing, with the goal of providing customers a single control plane across their on-premises environment and ChronoScale capacity.

ChronoScale Foundry, delivered through Nutanix

Nutanix will enable the deployment of ChronoScale Foundry, an enterprise AI foundry, inside the customer’s own environment, giving enterprises a managed platform to build, run, and govern agentic workflows locally. Agents, enterprise data, and workflow state remain within the customer’s boundary. Enterprise customers are expected to be able to deploy Foundry directly through the Nutanix Kubernetes Platform Catalog, extending Nutanix’s AI portfolio into managed agentic workloads.

The partnership is designed to help enterprises globally deploy production-scale AI environments faster, with greater operational simplicity, sovereignty, security, and scalability.

The partnership being announced today is underpinned by the strategic relationship and technology partnership that both ChronoScale and Nutanix have with NVIDIA. Chronoscale is an NVIDIA Cloud Partner (NCP), delivering an accelerated computing platform, built and optimized using NVIDIA-validated reference designs to deliver consistent performance at scale. Nutanix is an NVIDIA technology partner and ISV that has a suite of NVIDIA validated software to operate enterprise AI factories.

Together, ChronoScale and Nutanix intend to deliver an integrated platform built on NVIDIA AI economics that is designed to reduce operational complexity and accelerate time-to-value for enterprises adopting AI at scale. ChronoScale plans to deploy NVIDIA HGX B300 systems interconnected via NVIDIA Spectrum-X networking and NVIDIA AI Enterprise software, including NVIDIA NIM microservices and NVIDIA NeMo to deliver a production-ready stack.

Executive Commentary

“The next phase of AI is about making enterprise-grade infrastructure easier to consume and faster to deploy. This partnership with Nutanix brings together two complementary strengths — Nutanix’s proven cloud platform and ChronoScale’s accelerated compute, AI services, and Enterprise AI Foundry — to give customers a shorter, more sovereign path to production AI. It is an important milestone in our mission to become the platform where the global AI ecosystem converges.”

— Cenly Chen, Chief Executive Officer, ChronoScale

“Organizations are looking for a simpler path to deploying AI at scale. ChronoScale is building an impressive global AI infrastructure platform designed for the demands of modern AI workloads. Together, we will help enterprises accelerate their AI transformation by combining high-performance infrastructure with the operational simplicity, flexibility, and security that Nutanix delivers.”

— Tarkan Maner, President and Chief Commercial Officer, Nutanix

The partnership also establishes a framework that includes joint marketing activities, sales enablement, technical collaboration, joint solution development, and customer engagement programs. Nutanix and ChronoScale intend to work together to target Global 2000 organizations and other enterprise customers seeking scalable AI infrastructure and sovereign AI services. The companies intend to jointly maintain demonstration and proof-of-concept environments to support customer evaluations and accelerate enterprise adoption of Agentic AI solutions. The partnership is expected to be implemented through one or more definitive agreements.

He also stressed stronger coordination among government departments, universities and young people to bring fresh ideas into policymaking, while urging officials to strengthen India’s defence industry and enhance its global competitiveness. Underscoring lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and the West Asia crisis, he advocated making effective coordination a natural part of government functioning and encouraged the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence with human oversight. The Prime Minister concluded by calling for collective ownership, innovative thinking and a whole-of-government approach to address complex challenges and shape India’s future.

The initiative is designed to reduce cargo transit time, handling costs and congestion by allowing secured transshipment cargo to move through dedicated facilities without mandatory re-screening, subject to prescribed security safeguards. Since the pilot began on June 20, around 280 metric tonnes of cargo has been transshipped through Delhi, while aircraft capacity utilisation rose from 75 per cent to nearly 100 per cent. The reform reduced transit time on the Chennai-Delhi-Frankfurt route from about 60 hours to 20 hours.

Naidu said the government aims to triple India’s air cargo volume by 2030 and develop the country into a global air cargo transshipment hub. He highlighted the benefits of faster cargo movement for farmers and exporters, particularly those dealing in perishable agricultural products. The government plans to further expand the network and introduce International-to-International and International-to-Domestic transshipment, strengthening India’s position as a competitive global aviation hub.

New Delhi, August 19, 2026: The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Research Bureau has released its report “West Bengal: Mapping Agriculture and Industrial Investment Opportunities”, which assesses the State’s economic structure, factor endowments, agriculture, infrastructure, industrial ecosystem, export potential and sector-specific investment opportunities.

“The report concludes that West Bengal has a substantial base for accelerating industrialization and investment. It identifies the key opportunity as converting the State’s existing natural, human, industrial and logistical advantages into integrated, investment-ready manufacturing and export clusters said Mr. Rajeev Juneja, President, PHDCCI”.

Economic base provides scope for deeper manufacturing

According to the report, West Bengal’s GSDP increased from ₹6.10 lakh crore in FY2015-16 to ₹9.42 lakh crore in FY2024-25, representing a CAGR of about 4.95%, while GSVA grew at approximately 5.26% CAGR.

The report notes that services accounted for an average of about 42% of GSVA, while industry contributed about 23% during FY2015-16 to FY2024-25. It therefore identifies scope to deepen manufacturing while leveraging the State’s expanding services, knowledge and human-capital base.

Human capital is a major comparative advantage

West Bengal has a substantial educational and technical ecosystem, including IIT Kharagpur, ISI Kolkata, IIM Calcutta, IIEST Shibpur and Jadavpur University, along with a broad network of higher-education institutions. The report notes that literacy was about 85% in 2024-25.

However, the report also identifies a skills–industry mismatch. Unemployment among diploma holders and graduates remained relatively high, while employment growth in professional, scientific and technical activities was slower. It suggests that expansion in precision engineering, electronics, advanced manufacturing, R&D and technical services could strengthen employment absorption and labour productivity.

Investment-ready industrial land emerges as a critical priority

The report emphasises that the challenge is not simply the aggregate availability of industrial land, but the availability of large, contiguous, legally clear and infrastructure-ready parcels. It proposes a 5,000–10,000 acre rolling investment-ready industrial land pipeline, including 2,000–4,000 acres for anchor industries and 3,000–6,000 acres for MSMEs and supporting industries, along with dedicated parcels ranging from 50 acres to more than 500 acres.

The report proposes a Mega Industrial Parcel Programme targeting 32–47 large parcels and a Land Readiness/IRIP Score covering title clarity, land size, land use, roads, power, water, logistics, environmental suitability and development cost he said.

Infrastructure creates a platform for industrial expansion

The report highlights significant ongoing Central Government infrastructure investment in West Bengal. As of April 2026, 82 ongoing central-sector infrastructure projects in the State had a revised cost of approximately ₹1.47 lakh crore.

These projects span railways, roads, power, ports and inland waterways, coal, oil and gas and related infrastructure. The report identifies an opportunity to integrate infrastructure development with industrial policy, particularly around the Kolkata–Haldia–Durgapur–Kharagpur–Howrah industrial belt and connectivity to eastern, northeastern and neighbouring markets.

Value-chain deepening is central to the industrial strategy

The report identifies opportunities across automotive and components, chemicals, engineering, foundry, leather, power and energy, mining, maritime, rubber, solar, tea and textiles, alongside PLI-linked ecosystems covering electronics, pharmaceuticals, specialty steel, PV modules/ACCs, food processing and textiles.

The report’s common strategic theme is value-chain deepening rather than simply increasing production capacity. The report proposes a West Bengal Precision Manufacturing Mission focused on technology upgrading, common facilities, international certification, OEM–MSME supplier development, machinery finance and export development.

Howrah–Durgapur–Kharagpur identified as an advanced engineering corridor

The State’s traditional engineering base is identified as an important starting advantage. The report notes the substantial foundry ecosystem in Howrah and complementary capabilities in Durgapur, Kharagpur and Kalyani covering heavy engineering, machinery, research, precision manufacturing and industrial infrastructure.

The recommended focus includes precision components, railway components, automotive components, industrial machinery, aerospace and defence components, rather than immediately attempting to attract large OEMs across every segment.

Electronics and ESDM offer an opportunity to establish an Eastern India hub

The report proposes positioning West Bengal as “Eastern India’s Integrated Electronics & ESDM Hub”, building on Kolkata’s engineering and knowledge ecosystem, existing electronics manufacturing clusters at Naihati and Falta, technical institutions, ports and access to eastern and northeastern markets. The objective is to integrate West Bengal into national and global electronics value chains rather than focusing solely on assembly.

Renewable energy can support both energy transition and manufacturing

The report identifies substantial underutilised renewable-energy potential. Solar installed capacity increased from about 180 MW in 2023 to 321 MW in 2025, while estimated wind potential at a 150-metre hub height is about 1,281 MW, despite no installed wind capacity reported in the assessment.

The report links renewable-energy development with manufacturing opportunities in solar PV modules, battery materials and cells, battery packs and storage systems, solar mounting structures, electrical equipment and renewable-energy components, with differentiated clusters proposed at Haldia, Kharagpur, Durgapur and Howrah.

Maritime and shipbuilding could create a new industrial ecosystem

The report identifies West Bengal’s ports, inland waterways and engineering capabilities as a basis for developing a larger maritime manufacturing ecosystem encompassing shipbuilding, ship repair, marine equipment, steel fabrication, engineering suppliers, logistics and maritime services.

The report estimates an indicative investment requirement of ₹20,800–34,500 crore, with potential long-term annual shipbuilding output of ₹25,000–40,000 crore, 50,000–70,000 direct jobs and 150,000–250,000 indirect jobs.

Agriculture needs to be integrated with processing and logistics

The report identifies West Bengal’s agricultural diversity, multiple agro-climatic zones, fertile soils, water availability and broad crop base as an industrial input advantage.

It identifies opportunities beyond primary agricultural production in food processing, cold chains, warehousing, packaging, value-added agricultural products and export-oriented agro-processing, with particular relevance to connecting agricultural districts with industrial parks and logistics centres.

The report also identifies significant potential in rice-fallow utilisation for pulses, including lentil, chickpea, field pea, lathyrus and green gram. Investment opportunities include seed production, dal milling, pulse processing, contract farming, warehousing, food processing and export logistics.

Eastern gateway strategy can strengthen exports

The report notes that around 50% of West Bengal’s industrial exports go to Asian countries, with East Asia and ASEAN accounting for approximately 39% of total exports.

It therefore supports using West Bengal’s geographic position as an eastern gateway for exports to Bangladesh, ASEAN, East Asia and the wider Indian Ocean region, particularly for engineering products, processed agricultural goods, textiles, chemicals, electronics and maritime products.

Strategic direction

The report’s central proposition is that West Bengal should shift from an investment strategy based primarily on individual projects and existing industrial estates towards an integrated, cluster-based manufacturing strategy.

It identifies the State’s competitive proposition as the combination of human capital, engineering heritage, industrial MSMEs, ports and multimodal connectivity, eastern India market access, research institutions and agricultural resources.

The principal policy task identified by the report is to convert these endowments into investment-ready land, common industrial infrastructure, globally compliant suppliers, skilled manpower, technology-upgraded MSMEs and export-oriented value chains.

The report identifies the most important near-to-medium-term opportunities as precision engineering and components, electronics/ESDM, chemicals and specialty manufacturing, renewable-energy equipment and storage, food processing, automotive/railway components and maritime manufacturing, supported by infrastructure, industrial land and export facilitation said Dr. Ranjeet Mehta, SG &CEO, PHDCCI.