Latest news with #NitinSharma
News18
5 days ago
- General
- News18
Around 37,000 farmers adopt natural farming in Himachals Una and Hamirpur
Hamirpur / Una (HP), Aug 6 (PTI) With incentives like subsidies and assured minimum support price given by the state government to promote natural farming, around 37,000 farmers have adopted natural farming in the twin districts of Una and Hamirpur. Over 20,000 farmers in Hamirpur district and 16,853 farmers in Una have adopted natural farming, officials said. Deputy Commissioner of Hamirpur Amarjeet Singh said around 96 quintals of wheat and 9 quintals of turmeric prepared through natural farming have been purchased in the district in the Rabi season, while 53 quintals of maize were purchased in the last Kharif season. Project Director of Aatma Project, Hamirpur, Nitin Sharma said that to promote natural farming, farmers are given a subsidy of Rs 25,000 for the purchase of indigenous cows. Apart from this, a transport subsidy of Rs 5,000 and payment of animal market fee up to Rs 2,000 are also provided under the project. A subsidy of Rs 8,000 is given for paving the floor of the cowshed and setting up systems for collecting cow urine. Additionally, a subsidy of up to Rs 2,250 is available for preparing materials required for natural farming, such as drums and other equipment. Shakuntala Devi and Sushma Devi of Gram Panchayat Amlahad, who have adopted natural farming, have found new hope. Not only has it significantly reduced their farming costs, but their crops are also fetching better prices, and their food is now free from harmful chemicals, Sharma added. The ATMA Project Director Virender Bagga claims 41.66 metric tonnes of natural wheat and 11.15 metric tonnes of natural maize were purchased by farmers in Una district. Deputy Commissioner Jatin Lal has urged farmers to adopt this method, citing its environmental, health, and economic benefits. PTI COR BPL DR DR view comments First Published: August 06, 2025, 12:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Hindu
05-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Technologies to shape airport experience, say experts
With the number of air passengers steadily growing India, transformative technologies like biometric-based Digi Yatra, AI-powered digital twins, integrated multi-modal transport systems, and Net Zero, LEED-certified terminals would shape airport experiences, said experts. They also stressed on the need to strengthen digital ecosystems to manage rising cybersecurity risks which has been identified as a crucial area of focus. 'India's aviation growth presents a dual challenge—securing borders while easing the journey for millions of law-abiding passengers. In Mumbai alone, we clear 22,000–25,000 international travellers daily, averaging 10-minute customs clearance. Our aim is to cut this to 5 minutes,' said Joseph Gouda (IRS), Joint Director, Mumbai Customs while speaking at a round table discussion on 'Reimagining airport passenger infrastructure through innovation, technology and sustainability' organised ahead of the Inter Passenger Terminal Expo 2025 by Media Fusion. 'By adopting AI, ML, RFID, and Advanced Passenger Information systems, we are shifting from manual checks to smarter, targeted interventions. This transformation will make our infrastructure both more secure and passenger-friendly—essential for India's aviation future,' he added. Stating that India has transformed biometric travel with Digi Yatra, where one's face becomes one's boarding pass, Nitin Sharma, DVP – Business Development, of global security group dormakaba, said they were solving complex challenges—like group travel and one-click gate registration—while ensuring data privacy with automatic purging post-flight. 'Innovations like wider gates to prevent tailgating, now powered by AI and ML, were born from India's unique needs and are setting global benchmarks. With under 10% of the population currently flying, we are preparing for exponential growth by scaling smart, cost-efficient technologies. India's rapid pace of innovation is not only enhancing domestic operations but creating airport solutions the world is now adopting,' he said. On the evolving airport infrastructure development in the country, Geetha Priya G, Senior Director – Infrastructure & Airports, JLL India said there was a need to build infrastructure that was resilient, adaptive and efficient. 'Greenfield airports offer the luxury of blank canvas while brownfield sites push us to rethink with constraints for unique, smart and adaptive design solutions. The future lies in modular construction, digital first terminal cores that centralize operations, passenger movement and energy management.' 'Early-stage collaboration is critical—drawing insights from operations, policy shifts, and tech trends helps avoid costly course corrections. We need a terminal design language rooted in sustainability, with built-in readiness for climate volatility, aging demographics, rapid digital changes and hybrid spaces that can handle intensity and downtime with equal ease. Aligning this vision with financial models that attract private investment is key to delivering infrastructure that's future-ready and locally responsive,' she added.
Indian Express
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Parth Salunkhe settled for bronze as pressure of making finals triggers a 7, when needing 10
Nitin Sharma is an Assistant Editor with the sports team of The Indian Express. Based out of Chandigarh, Nitin works with the print sports desk while also breaking news stories for the online sports team. A Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award recipient for the year 2017 for his story 'Harmans of Moga', Nitin has also been a two-time recipient of the UNFPA-supported Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity for the years 2022 and 2023 respectively. Nitin mainly covers Olympics sports disciplines with his main interests in shooting, boxing, wrestling, athletics and much more. The last 17 years with The Indian Express has seen him unearthing stories across India from as far as Andaman and Nicobar to the North East. Nitin also covers cricket apart from women's cricket with a keen interest. Nitin has covered events like the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 2011 ODI World Cup, 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2017 AIBA World Youth Boxing Championships. An alumnus of School of Communication Studies, Panjab University, from where he completed his Masters in Mass Communications degree, Nitin has been an avid quizzer too. A Guru Nanak Dev University Colour holder, Nitin's interest in quizzing began in the town of Talwara Township, a small town near the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border. When not reporting, Nitin's interests lie in discovering new treks in the mountains or spending time near the river Beas at his hometown. ... Read More
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Business Standard
24-04-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Avaana Capital leads $3.8 mn seed round in biotech startup GreenGrahi
The funding will be used to build one of India's largest facilities capable of processing 150 tons of feedstock daily and also expand the scientific team and enter global markets Premium Shruti Srivastava, investment director at Avaana Capital, said GreenGrahi's proprietary insect biotechnology and bioprocessing platform enables the production of high-performance, cost-efficient ingredients at scale. BS Reporter Bengaluru Listen to This Article Avaana Capital has led a Rs 32 crore ($3.8 million) seed funding round in GreenGrahi, a biotech startup developing alternatives to traditional animal feed and chemical agricultural inputs using insect biotechnology. The round also saw participation from existing investors Huddle Ventures, Campus Fund, and Blume Founders Fund. It also included leading angel investors such as Nitin Sharma (Nexus Ventures), Anchit Gupta (Samara Capital), David Chen (Equilibrium Capital), and Sameer Brij Verma (Northpoint Capital). Shruti Srivastava, investment director at Avaana Capital, said GreenGrahi's proprietary insect biotechnology and bioprocessing platform enables the production of high-performance, cost-efficient ingredients at scale. 'This is helping
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Business Standard
24-04-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Agri-biotech startup GreenGrahi raises Rs 32 crore, led by Avaana Capital
Agri-biotech startup GreenGrahi has raised ₹32 crore ($3.73 million) in a seed funding round led by Avaana Capital, an early-stage climate and sustainability-focused venture capital fund. The round also witnessed participation from Huddle Ventures, Campus Fund, Blume Founders Fund, and angel investors, including Nexus Ventures' Nitin Sharma, Samara Capital's Anchit Gupta, Equilibrium Capital's David Chen, and Northpoint Capital's Sameer Brij Verma. The fund will be used to build a homegrown Black Soldier Fly (BSF) factory that can process around 150 tonnes of feedstock on a daily basis. The company also plans to expand its team and enter global markets, including the United States, United Kingdom, and the European Union. Founded by Shivali Sugand and Siddharth Sharma, GreenGrahi is developing an insect biotechnology platform powered by BSF and its microbiome. The company produces high-performance insect proteins, functional oils, and hydrolysates for aquaculture, poultry, and pets, and is already supplying partners in the shrimp, poultry, and pet food sectors. Alongside, GreenGrahi has built a new generation of biological agri-inputs including biofertilisers, biostimulants, and biopesticides that help improve soil health, boost crop resilience and yield, and reduce the need for chemical fertilisers and pesticides, the company said in a statement. "As wild fish stocks continue to decline and protein demand rises, the pressure on aquafeed and livestock inputs is only going to grow. We are building a platform that makes high-quality, science-driven feed and agri-inputs accessible, affordable, and scalable for global markets," said Siddharth Sharma, co-founder of GreenGrahi. According to Shruti Srivastava, investment director at Avaana Capital: "GreenGrahi is creating category-shaping innovation in the food and agri-tech space. Their proprietary insect biotechnology and bioprocessing platform enables the production of high-performance, cost-efficient ingredients at scale—helping build resilient food supply chains for global food security through science-backed, market-ready solutions.' According to Avaana Capital, the round marked the largest-ever funding round in India's insect biotech space. Avaana Capital had raised $150 million last year, out of which nearly one-third of the amount has already been deployed.
