Brands
BhoomiSeva partners with AIOCD Pharma Ltd
Mumbai: BhoomiSeva (www.bhoomiseva.com), a leading organisation dedicated to promoting sustainable agricultural practices and improving soil health for the benefit of farmers and consumers has proudly announced their official partnership with AIOCD Pharma Ltd. This tie-up will mark a significant step towards transforming India’s agricultural landscape.
The partnership aims to leverage AIOCD’s extensive network across the nation to introduce BhoomiSeva Kendra (multi brand store) and Bhu-Vision Soil Testing Device by appointing 45 super stockists and 533 district Stockists in 15 states covering 94% of the country in phase I. Thus, propelling a comprehensive transformation of India’s agricultural practices. The program, rooted in Personal Social Responsibility (PSR), aims to promote soil tests and thereby improve soil and human health in the coming days.
On this occasion, BhoomiSeva founder & CEO Melind Deshpande, HCF Tech Services Private Ltd and distributor for Bhu-Vision (Krishi-RASTAA) said, “We are truly honoured by the unanimous enthusiasm and commitment shown by AIOCD towards the “Healthy Soil, Healthy People” Movement initiated by BhoomiSeva in India. This collaboration will create a monumental shift in the way we address soil health and through it, human health. Since human health is closely interlinked to soil health, we believe this initiative will set the stage for a healthier and more sustainable future for our nation.”
In words of AIOCD chairman Jagganath (Appa) Shinde, a visionary leader who has dedicated his life to the health care industry, “Healthier soil will surely improve human health and reduce spending on medicines and other health related expenses. We at AIOCD support the Healthy Soil Healthy People movement, inspite of knowing the fact, that in the long term our revenues will be impacted.” He also refers to an article “Soil regeneration a crucial way to mitigate climate change” Sadhguru at Express Adda. Sadhguru, in a conversation with Anant Goenka, Executive Director, the Indian Express Group says that 27,000 organism species in the soil are disappearing every year. In another 15-25 years we will be in a place where we can barely grow anything in the soil. Shri Jagganath (Appa) Shinde further states that “because soil is the basis of our very existence, for sake of humanity we at AIOCD will help generate 12.50 lakh soil test per annum (one soil test once in a year by one chemist) to support the “Healthy Soil Healthy People” movement.” This will make 1250 BhoomiSeva Kendra self-sustaining for one full year.
Further AIOCD directo Vaijnath Jagusthe mentioned, “We will be enabling 12.50 lakh farmers to increase their crop yield by 20%-30%. This is the first small step taken by AIOCD towards nation building – an example of collective Personal Social Responsibility (PSR).”
This initiative is set to leverage the extensive reach of the Indian healthcare ecosystem. By partnering with 12.50 Lakh (1.25 million) medical shops, the program intends to disseminate information and promote soil testing as an integral part of PSR. With an average client base of 500 individuals per medical shop, this initiative is poised to reach more than 50 crore (500 million) citizens across the nation.
In rural areas, the program will facilitate the establishment of government-authorized soil testing centers within medical shops, adopting the ‘Shop in Shop’ multi-brand store model of BhoomiSeva. This strategic move is expected to involve 2,15,000 medical shops in rural India, thus ensuring widespread access to essential soil testing services.
In urban areas, medical shops will play a crucial role in promoting soil testing among their clients and encouraging them to participate in the PSR program by sponsoring soil tests. This approach will not only improve soil health but also foster a citizen’s movement towards responsible and sustainable practices.
The BhoomiSeva Kendra initiative is a pioneering concept that brings together the nation’s agricultural community under one umbrella. These multi-brand stores will serve as focal points for farmers, providing them with access to a wide range of agricultural inputs, expert guidance, and cutting-edge technologies.
Brands
LINC Limited appoints Hitesh Singla as head of marketing
The writing instruments giant has hired Hitesh Singla as head of marketing, betting on his two decades of brand-building firepower to ink a bolder consumer story
KOLKATA: LINC Limited, the Kolkata-based writing instruments manufacturer with a footprint spanning more than 50 countries, has appointed Hitesh Singla as its head of marketing, a hire that signals the company’s intent to fight harder for consumer attention in one of India’s most fiercely contested stationery categories.
Singla arrives with over two decades of marketing muscle behind him, having built, revived and scaled brands across consumer durables, personal care, healthcare, retail and houseware. His CV reads like a tour of Indian and global brand management: he introduced and grew Stabilo, UHU and Rapid in the Indian market, helped revive product categories for Revlon, and most recently served as head of marketing at KAI India, where he sharpened the brand’s presence in personal grooming and houseware.
Before KAI, Singla held leadership roles at Godrej & Boyce and the Avantha Group, among others, organisations where scale, complexity and consumer diversity are non-negotiable realities.
At LINC, he will own the company’s end-to-end marketing strategy: brand equity, integrated campaigns and consumer engagement, all calibrated to a market that is shifting fast. His approach blends data-driven insight with what he calls creative storytelling, precisely the kind of bilingual fluency that legacy brands need when nostalgia alone will no longer do the heavy lifting.
“LINC Limited holds a strong legacy in the writing instruments category,” said Singla, “and I look forward to building on this foundation to further strengthen its brand relevance in a rapidly evolving market. The focus will be on driving sharper consumer insights, innovation-led marketing, and creating deeper engagement across touchpoints.”
An alumnus of Punjab University with a master’s degree in international business, Singla is said to be as comfortable with cultures, languages and history as he is with a campaign brief, a disposition that may serve him well as LINC pushes deeper into global markets.
For a company that already sells pens across five continents, the real challenge now is making consumers care which pen they pick up. Singla’s job is to make sure it is a LINC.
