MAM
Women take the wheel as ETO Motors powers Amaravati’s green drive
The road to sustainability just got a lot more empowering. In a move that blends women power with green power, Hyderabad-based ETO Motors has signed an MoU with the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) to roll out a fleet of fully electric three-wheelers all driven by women across the capital region of Amaravati.
The initiative, inaugurated by chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, is part of Andhra Pradesh’s renewed vision to develop Amaravati as a model sustainable capital. The Chief Minister launched the new APCRDA headquarters while unveiling a series of infrastructure and connectivity initiatives designed to transform the region into a hub of smart, inclusive mobility.
Commending ETO Motors’ efforts, Naidu said, “These women drivers will ferry passengers from nearby villages to the Capital Region, becoming financially independent and contributing to a cleaner, greener Amaravati.”
And it’s not just about the environment, it’s about empowerment. Every woman behind the wheel has been trained, certified, and deployed under the programme, creating a blueprint for inclusive, sustainable growth that extends beyond transport.
ETO Motors chief marketing officer Rajeev YSR said, “With a unified ticketing system, passengers can seamlessly travel across three-wheelers, buses, and cars for first-mile, middle-mile, and last-mile connectivity. Our goal is to build a fully electric fleet that connects the Capital Region quadrangle Gannavaram Airport, Vijayawada, Amaravati, and Guntur through clean, accessible transportation.”
The rollout is ambitious. In its first phase, ETO Motors plans to deploy 300 electric three-wheelers, 100 electric cars, and 20 electric shuttle buses, integrating a multimodal network that’s both affordable and zero-emission.
Beyond mobility, the programme is designed to generate employment and micro-entrepreneurship for women and marginalised communities ensuring that the transition to clean energy also drives social change.
ETO Motors expressed its gratitude to the state’s leadership, including minister for MA&UD P. Narayana and APCRDA commissioner Sri Kannababu IAS, for their vision in enabling the project. The company’s senior leadership Bhaskar Ponnapula (director, ETO Group), Preethi Belinda Jasti (vice president of operations), and Nirmal (president, ETO Motors) were also present at the event.
With e-rickshaws driven by women and powered by clean energy, Amaravati’s new mobility model isn’t just about getting from point A to B, it’s about moving towards a future that’s electric, equitable, and empowering. In this journey, Andhra Pradesh isn’t just going green, it’s going gracefully green.
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
