Kasmin Fernandes

From UN leaders to the US Vice President, everyone was calling for women's equal participation in public this week. Kamala Harris said that “the status of women is the status of democracy” in her first speech before the United Nations in her role as Vice President of the United States. United Nations Chief António...

Merely 4% of the houses that the Modi government promised under the rural housing scheme are complete. The Central government’s flagship programme called PMAY-G (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna-Grameen) is a rural welfare programme. What is PMAY-G? The objective is to construct concrete homes with basic amenities for homeless citizens living in the villages who can’t afford...

The Weeknd aka Abel Tesfaye is popular for his dark and gritty songs but there is more to the mysterious popstar than his music and public persona. He has been backing political issues and donating vast sums to charitable causes including racial justice groups like Black Lives Matter, COVID-19 relief, and maternal health. Last year,...

A green economy and green mobility will drive the post-Covid world. So, it's safe to say that “green jobs” which contribute to this transition will only become more lucrative in coming years. Green jobs have already started making an appearance in the form of urban farmers who are experimenting with vertical farms and gardens in...

ICICI Bank CSR shows a deep commitment to skill building for the larger purpose of Nation Building. Ranked the ‘Best Company to Work For’ fourth year in a row (by Business Today magazine), this bank is a large provider of financial services and products. The diversified portfolio caters to individuals as well as corporate...

“If women are reminded of the fact that they can be and are equally responsible for managing their family finances, it will motivate them to understand finance,” says Tina Suzanne George in an exclusive interview on International Women's Day 2021. The eldest daughter of Thomas George Muthoot, Promoter-Director of Muthoot Pappachan Group, she is...

The profit-driven nature of the manufacturing-industrial complex puts the health and safety of workers on the back burner. India has such a large manpower resource that protective gear is considered a luxury on factory floors. In fact, manufacturers find less incentive in protecting the health of the workforce than in working them to the...

Bollywood singer Neha Kakkar is ruling the charts with her hit songs and our hearts with a spate of monetary gifts for out-of-work artistes and people in need. A longtime judge on Indian Idol, Neha is also an influencer to boot. She is the first Indian musician to receive the Instagram trophy for her...

Global power management firm Eaton believes that diversity and inclusion does not stop at financial support. Nurturing talent and then developing managerial and soft skills is just as important. The company encourages women to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) through its CSR programmes. When you think of an engineer, the...

Which words pop up in your mind when you think of Indian weddings? Extravagant or lavish. Perhaps traditional, intricately ritualistic and long winding. Certainly not phrases like gender equal, zero-plastic, environmentally sustainable or waste-free. These are the last phrases one would associate with a big fat shaadi. However, newlywed Dia Mirza shows us how...

Sporting culture is a combination of tangible and intangible elements — the number of fans that turn up to watch local sports, the importance given to sports by schools and parents, the presence of playgrounds in urban environments, local teams, local platforms that showcase and highlight lesser-known sports and sporting talent, local coaches and...

The Akshaya Patra Foundation celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2020. It continues to be the world's largest NGO school meal programme, serving hot, nutritious mid-day meals to 1.8 million school children in India every day. Not only does it reach out to kids, but to people in need at large. During the COVID-19 crisis,...