Latest news with #pan-India
News18
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News18
‘Yeh Mera Left Hai': Shilpa Shirodkar's Witty Moment With Paparazzi Wins Hearts
Last Updated: Shilpa Shirodkar will soon be seen in Shankar - The Revolutionary Man, a series based on the life and teachings of the revered saint and philosopher Adi Shankaracharya. Shilpa Shirodkar is not letting the paparazzi off the hook this time. The actress attended an event where she had a light-hearted yet memorable exchange with photographers, and a video of the moment is now making the rounds online. In the clip, Shilpa is seen striking a pose for the cameras when one of the photographers asks her to look to her right. Without missing a beat, Shilpa turns her head and quickly points out that it is her left side. 'Yeh mera left hai (This is my left side)," she said as she corrected the photographer with a smile. While the photographer immediately realises the mix-up and accepts the mistake, Shilpa decides to keep the moment going with her sense of humour. 'Main soch rahi thi sirf main hi confused hu normally life or right mein (I was thinking I'm the only one who usually gets confused between left and right)," she said. As for her outfit, Shilpa chose an elegant look for the evening. She wore a floral-printed dress that featured a relaxed yet graceful silhouette. Her look was accessorised with eye-catching jewellery pieces. She completed the look with soft, dewy makeup and wore her hair down in soft waves. Take a look at the video here: On the work front, Shilpa has some exciting projects lined up. She will soon be seen in Shankar – The Revolutionary Man, an upcoming series based on the life and teachings of the revered saint and philosopher Adi Shankaracharya. The show is produced by Modi Studios in association with Rajarshi Bhupendra Modi. Alongside Shilpa, the series features Abhishek Nigam, Rajesh Shringarpure, Farnaz Shetty, Rati Pandey, Manoj Joshi and others. In a recent interview with IANS, Shilpa shared that being part of the show became a personal experience for her and even marked a new chapter in her life. 'I have always been spiritually inclined. I enjoy learning, listening, and exploring different kinds of knowledge. So, when this show came my way, it felt like a life-changing moment for me. I thought to myself that if I were to be a part of this project, it would offer so much more for me to learn, both professionally and personally," she said. Apart from this, Shilpa is also set to appear in Jatadhara, a much-awaited pan-India supernatural thriller. The film marks her return to the big screen after a long gap. Jatadhara revolves around the mysterious Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple and its hidden mystical lore. view comments First Published: 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.
Mint
18 hours ago
- Business
- Mint
Festivals are around the corner, and there's a scramble for temp staff
An early onset of festivals, unsold stocks from a short summer, and some extra cash in shoppers' pockets - A set of factors have conspired to trigger a robust hiring season of temporary workers, just before the year's bumper shopping season. Consumer, e-commerce, and logistics firms are putting together a platoon of temporary and last-mile delivery workforce, hoping to meet the surge in demand in the upcoming season of festivals. A short summer that led to an inventory pile-up in the season-special white goods, an early onset of the festival season, wider access to online shopping, and the assumption that consumers will have a little more cash in hand due to tax savings are all leading to a 20% year-on-year rise in temporary workforce hiring. 'As we approach the festive season—typically commencing early September—we proactively scale up hiring across our supply chain network to meet the anticipated surge in demand," said Aakriti Chandra, vice-president (human resources) at e-commerce firm Flipkart. The senior executive said the firm will hire for 'seasonal roles" in their fulfillment centres, sortation hubs, and delivery facilities, which will especially impact employment in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Like last year, Flipkart will lock horns with rival Amazon this season too. Both had targeted hiring more than 100,000 workers during the festive season that typically marks their largest sale period. In India, the festive season starts with Ganesh Chaturthi that was celebrated in September last year, but starts in the last week of August this time. The period, which includes the peak festive sale time Diwali, dials down towards the end of December. Sujay Pidara, founder of MyJobee, a blue-collar recruitment platform, said that firms' interest in roles such as warehouse staff and delivery partners is up 80%, compared with the April-June quarter this year. 'Quick commerce platforms are able to provide better pay and flexibility to workers, as they try to capture the market. But as cash burn increases, they may look at reducing labour costs or increasing customer pricing," Pidara said. In recruitment parlance, temporary workers will be hired by a third-party vendor and deployed on client sites for three to six months. Gig workers, on the other hand, could be employed by multiple companies, and are typically in the delivery space. 'After a slower growth phase in 2024, India's e-commerce sector is set for a stronger festive season in 2025, with order volumes expected to grow in the high teens year-on-year," said Irwin Anand, chief executive officer (CEO) at Nimbuspost, a warehouse and last-mile delivery service provider. 'This surge is driven by renewed consumer demand, rising traction in high-value categories, and increased participation from Tier-2 and -3 cities." Anand sees its courier partners also scaling up operations and hiring seasonal workforce to ensure seamless deliveries during the festival season rush. Early celebrations pan-India According to recruiters, an additional runway of a few weeks for festivals this year will also increase sales and, therefore, hiring. 'We estimate a 20% increase in hiring versus last year. There are over two lakh open requirements in the market," said Sunil C., country manager for staffing firm Adecco India. Over the years, one of the major boosts to hiring during the festival season has come from e-commerce firms. They have progressively bulked up hiring of temporary workforce, as online shopping becomes more prevalent in India. Nearly all pin codes in India are now serviceable by at least one major e-commerce retailer, with Tier-2 and Tier-3 regions driving volumes, according to a 2023 study by ISB Institute of Data Science and Ecom Express. Weather dampener Weather also has a role to play in the plan for online retail push this season. The summer was brief this year, with spells of unseasonal rains hurting the demand for summer demand goods such as air-conditioners and refrigerators and leading to an inventory pile-up. Industry executives say India's overall air-conditioner sales in April-May fell 10–15% year-on-year, reversing the early-season optimism that was driven by forecasts of a harsh summer. Companies are now pinning their hopes on the festive season in the second half of the year to liquidate their excess inventory. Retail chains that sell large cooling appliances expect to liquidate air-conditioner stocks over the coming 2-3 months, or by October. Fatter wallets Balasubramanian A, senior vice president (SVP) and business head at TeamLease Services estimates a 15% uptick in hiring this season from a year ago. 'Discretionary sales will go up and that will add to sales. We also expect customers to spend more after the tax rebates that were announced during the Budget," noted the SVP. Earlier in the year, the government announced relief on personal income tax for those with an annual income of up to ₹12 lakh. The move is set to put additional money in the hands of consumers, potentially boosting consumption. The festival season is widely considered auspicious for big ticket purchases in India. Although temporary and gig hiring may see an uptick, permanent recruitment will remain muted. 'We are preparing for a 15-20% rise in the mandate in the temporary workforce versus last year," said Aditya Narayan Mishra, managing director of CIEL HR Service, adding that the hiring of permanent staff would be flat from the year ago level.
News18
a day ago
- Politics
- News18
We are in shame: SC on Odisha teen set afire
Agency: New Delhi, Jul 21 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Monday used 'shame" and 'unfortunate" to describe the attack on a 15-year-old girl in Odisha, underscoring the need to empower and provide a safe haven for women especially in rural areas. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said, 'We need suggestions from everyone on what concrete steps can be taken to empower the school girls, home makers, children in rural areas, who are the most vulnerable and the voiceless people. Our directions should have some impact and visible imprint." Some short-term and long-term directions need to be issued for immediate and for future and so that women living in taluka level could be made aware and empowered, it added. The bench said para legal volunteers, particularly women could be trained and appointed at the taluka level and even help of Anganwadi workers could be taken to make the women aware of their rights. Senior advocate Mahalakshmi Pavani, appearing for the petitioner Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association, said a couple of days ago, the minor was burnt and similar incidents took place in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. 'How long will this go on? This court needs to pass some directions for the safety of women," Pawani said. The bench said, 'We are in shame and it is unfortunate that these incidents are still taking place. This is not adversarial litigation. We need suggestions from the centre and all the parties." Justice Kant said the registry has not put the affidavit of the Centre on record and posted the matter next week. She said one-stop centres were now functioning in every district which would be helpful for the women in distress. The bench, however, said while one-stop centre was good, it needed to go to the taluka level. On December 16, last year, the top court agreed to examine a plea seeking directions to frame pan-India guidelines for a safe environment for women, children and transpersons. The PIL said sexual crimes against women, girls and infants, reported across the country continued in different states. 'The recent Kolkata gangrape of young lady trainee doctor is only one amongst the many which has highlighted the deep-rooted ineptness, red-tapism, bureaucratic cowardice by the law enforcement agencies, political hooliganism, and the brutal, nefarious and grisly state of affairs concerning the safety of women in India," it said. The petitioner sought the court to invoke the doctrine of parens patriae to safeguard the fundamental rights of women, children and the third gender encompassing their right to safety, a secured workplace, adequate sanitation, personal dignity, bodily integrity, and safe environment. PTI MNL MNL AMK AMK view comments First Published: July 21, 2025, 20:45 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.
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Business Standard
a day ago
- Business
- Business Standard
UltraTech Cement's profit jumps 49% as volumes, prices grow in Q1FY26
Aditya Birla Group's UltraTech Cement reported a 48.9 per cent year-on-year (YoY) growth in consolidated net profit (attributable to the owners of the parent) for the quarter ending June FY26, reaching ₹2,226 crore, driven by an overall sales volume growth of 9.7 per cent YoY to 36.83 million metric tonnes. The company's grey cement realisations also improved by 2.4 per cent YoY to ₹5,165 per metric tonne (mt), amid an all-India YoY cement price hike of 6 per cent during the quarter. The growth in the company's overall consolidated sales volume during the quarter was further boosted by its acquisitions of Kesoram Industries and India Cements. However, during the company's earnings call on Monday, Atul Daga, Chief Financial Officer of UltraTech Cement, remarked, 'We had gotten used to double-digit growth (in sales volume) just recently, year after year, quarter after quarter, and anything less seems to be slow.' Further, the profit marginally missed the Bloomberg analysts' poll estimate of ₹2,251.03 crore. The company's revenue from operations in Q1 FY26 grew by 13.1 per cent YoY to ₹21,275.45 crore, though it also missed analysts' estimates of ₹21,506 crore. 'We believe our results this quarter demonstrate our ability to adapt to the changing market scenario while delivering on our financial commitments,' Daga said. According to Elara Capital, average pan-India cement prices rose by 3 per cent quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) in Q1 FY26 to ₹377 per bag. The YoY price increase reflects a rebound from Q1 FY25 when prices had declined by about 4 per cent due to the demand being affected by the general elections. In Q1 FY26, prices softened in June 2025 with the onset of the monsoon. The company's total expenses for the quarter stood at ₹18,405.19 crore, up 7.97 per cent YoY. Energy costs for grey cement were lower by 12 per cent YoY to ₹871 per mt, mainly due to reduced fuel prices. The company's logistics cost during the quarter declined by 4 per cent YoY, while power costs dropped by 8 per cent YoY. In Q1 FY26, the company's operating EBITDA per tonne was ₹1,248, up 38.82 per cent YoY. The share of premium products in the company's sales stood at 33.8 per cent, compared to 24 per cent in Q1 FY25. Sequentially, the company's revenue declined by 7.75 per cent and profit by 10.31 per cent. UltraTech increased its grey cement capacity by 3.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) in Q1 FY26, bringing its total capacity to 192.26 mtpa. The company aims to grow its grey cement capacity to 197.5 mtpa by the end of FY26. The company spent approximately ₹2,000 crore in capital expenditure during Q1 FY26. The company's consolidated net debt stood at ₹16,340 crore as of June 2025. UltraTech is targeting a double-digit volume growth going forward, driven by new capacity additions, mega infrastructure projects, healthy rural demand, and urban housing activity. 'We will grow higher than the industry,' Daga added. The company's share, listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange, closed at ₹12,574.35 on Monday (July 21).
News18
a day ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Hari Hara Veera Mallu Cast Fee: How Much Pawan Kalyan, Others Charged For Their Roles
Last Updated: Set in the 17th-century Mughal era, the film follows the fictitious fighter Veera Mallu, an outlaw who struggles against imperial rule Hari Hara Veera Mallu, an epic featuring South Star Pawan Kalyan, is set to hit the big screens on July 24. Helmed by Krish Jagarlamudi, the film has been generating significant buzz online as a visual spectacle blending history, action and drama. With just a few days left for its release, let's take a look at what Pawan Kalyan and others have charged for their roles in the movie. As per a Showbiz Galore report, Pawan Kalyan is charging Rs 15 crore for the Krish Jagarlamudi directorial, significantly lesser than his previous fee of Rs. 50 crore for Bro. Bobby Deol, who will be seen playing the role of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, has reportedly bagged a hefty paycheck of Rs. 3 crore as his fee. Next up, Niddhi Agerwal has secured the role opposite Pawan Kalyan, while Nargis Fakhri will be playing Mughal princess and Aurangzeb's sister, Roshanara. Both of them have received Rs 2.5 crore and Rs 3 Crore respectively for their roles. Set in the 17th century Mughal era, the film follows the fictitious fighter Veera Mallu, an outlaw who struggles against imperial rule. It delves into themes of resistance, justice, and revolution as he fights the tyranny of Aurangzeb. Recently, reports suggested that Pawan Kalyan might not promote his film Hari Hara Veera Mallu, as he is expected to remain occupied with political commitments. During a press interaction, film's producer AR Rathnam clarified the actor's absence from the promotional events, especially those targeting pan-India audiences. 'Please watch the film for enjoyment, not to notice flaws. This film was created for the audience. Pawan Kalyan has other commitments and will not promote the film in Hindi or other languages," Rathnam remarked. Hari Hara Veera Mallu, which had been in production for several years, recently passed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) process and received a UA certificate. Its final runtime is 2 hours and 42 minutes. The board has not asked for any major adjustments or cuts, indicating a smooth approval before release. First Published: July 21, 2025, 18:32 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.
