MAM
ITC YiPPee! Rolls Out Food Carts to Empower Uttarakhand Women
ITC’s YiPPee! gets the wheels turning for Uttarakhand’s newest micro-entrepreneurs.
MUMBAI: Forget the old adage about putting the cart before the horse, in the hills of Uttarakhand, the cart is the driving force. In a move that proves there’s more to instant noodles than just a quick snack, Sunfeast YiPPee! has cooked up a fresh initiative to turn homemakers into breadwinners. Under the banner of its ‘Better World Program’, the brand has rolled out a fleet of food carts to aspiring businesswomen, proving that the best route to empowerment is often a street-side view.
This January 2026, the programme set up shop in Uttarakhand, where it identified ten women ready to swap uncertainty for entrepreneurship. But this wasn’t a case of simply handing over the keys and hoping for the best. In partnership with the NGO Prayatna, the initiative treated the selection process with the rigour of a Masterchef audition. Candidates were screened for motivation and grit, ensuring that the beneficiaries weren’t just looking for a job, but were ready to run the show.
Once selected, the cohort underwent a bespoke training regime that would put many culinary schools to shame. The curriculum covered everything from financial management and customer handling to the nitty-gritty of food safety. By the time they hit the streets, these women were armed with FoSTaC Basic Catering Course and NSDC dual certifications, courtesy of the Food Industry Capacity & Skill Initiative (FICSI). To top it off, they were guided through the FSSAI registration maze, ensuring their businesses are as compliant as they are capable.
The result? A brigade of fully equipped, branded food carts hitting the streets, accessories included.
Snacks & Noodles unit at ITC Ltd. chief executive Ali Harris Shere noted that true dignity stems from economic independence. “We are focused on enabling women to achieve economic independence by equipping them with the capabilities, confidence, and resources needed to build resilient micro-enterprises,” he remarked, highlighting that the expansion into Uttarakhand is about cementing inclusive growth.
The local government has certainly developed an appetite for the scheme. Uttarakhand State Commission for Women president Kusum Kandwal praised the corporate-NGO tag team, noting that such efforts “complement government initiatives and strengthen our shared mission.”
This isn’t ITC’s first rodeo or rather, first roll-out. Over the past two years, the programme has been a lifeline for migrant women in Delhi NCR, helping them navigate out of vulnerable conditions and into self-reliance. It is a slice of a much larger pie; ITC’s multi-dimensional social investments have now touched the lives of over 6 million women across India, spanning education, employability, and enterprise.
For these ten women in Uttarakhand, the future is looking distinctly brighter. They finally have the ingredients for success, and for once, it’s not just about what’s on the menu, it’s about who owns the kitchen.
MAM
Give Me Five mental fitness platform launches in India
Global tool for early stress detection debuts in Hyderabad with live demos.
MUMBAI: Give Me Five just gave mental fitness a high-five because when your mind needs a quick check-up, even the app shows up faster than your inner critic. Give Me Five, a global mental fitness platform focused on early detection and proactive wellbeing, was officially launched in India at a special event at The Park Hotel, Somajiguda, Hyderabad. Founded by Brendan Fahey (30 years years building community solutions in human services), Dr Lisa Fahey OAM (35+ years as a trauma-recovery psychologist) and Phil Dymock (technology lead for expansion across the US, Canada, Australia and now India), the platform encourages small, consistent check-ins to spot early signs of stress, anxiety or burnout before they escalate.
The launch featured a live demonstration of core features, quick mental fitness assessments, data-driven personal insights, wellbeing dashboards, and tools tailored for individuals, workplaces, schools and communities. By making early awareness simple and accessible, Give Me Five aims to foster supportive environments where people feel equipped to act sooner rather than later.
Give Me Five co-founder Brendan Fahey said, “Give Me Five was created with a simple idea that small, consistent check-ins can make a meaningful difference in how we understand and support mental fitness. By making early detection accessible through technology, we hope to empower individuals, organisations, and communities to recognise challenges sooner and build stronger systems of care and support.”
The platform arrives as mental health conversations in India gain urgency, with rising awareness of workplace stress, student burnout and everyday emotional load. Give Me Five positions itself as a preventive companion less about crisis response and more about daily maintenance for the mind.
In a world that tracks every step and heartbeat, Give Me Five quietly reminds us the most important metric is still how we feel—and sometimes all it takes is five minutes and a honest pause to keep the balance from tipping.
