MAM
IndusInd Bank-supported para-athletes qualify for Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympic Games
Mumbai: The 21 para-athletes who are part of the IndusInd Bank’s ‘Para Champions Programme’ will represent the country at the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games to be held in Tokyo between 24 August and 5 September. The programme was launched in 2015, in partnership with the GoSports Foundation with an objective to support para-athletes across various sports disciplines.
These 21 athletes comprise nearly 40 per cent of the overall Indian contingent who will compete with the best in the world across disciplines such as javelin throw, shooting, swimming, archery, badminton, high jump and more.
IndusInd Bank, through its non-banking sports vertical- ‘IndusInd for Sports’ supports programmes under the Corporate Social Responsibility Act 2013, that straddle the worlds of women athletes, able-bodied rural champions as well as elite para-athletes, with the sole purpose of bringing out the best in each of them.
Speaking on the qualifications, IndusInd Bank head – commercial & rural banking & in-charge of IndusInd for Sports, Sanjeev Anand said, “It is a matter of great pride to witness 21 of the Bank’s supported Para Champions represent India at the Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo. In fact, 40 per cent of the overall contingent that will represent the country are part of this programme, which itself, is a momentous achievement. We shall now wait to see them take centre stage with some of the best para-athletes across the globe, and wish them the very best for all their endeavours thereafter. Through our partnership with the GoSports Foundation, we aim to keep supporting all our para-athletes by providing them with the necessary resources in their quest to bring more laurels to the country. We do hope that the initiative goes on to inspire many others by bridging social barriers, building social acceptance, and creating circles of excellence in the years to come.”
The para-athletes supported by the bank and who will represent India at the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games across a wide range of para-disciplines such as badminton, archery, and javelin-throw include Rakesh Kumar, Sandeep Chaudhary, Sharad Kumar, Amit Kumar Saroha, Jyoti Baliyan among others.
The programme currently supports 43 para-athletes across seven disciplines from 14 states across the country by helping them fulfill their nutrition, fitness & conditioning, medical support as well as domestic & international training requirements. The programme also takes care of expenses incurred towards coaching, competition fee, sports science, daily living expenses, equipment & gear, apparel, mentorship, among others, the bank said in a statement. “The narrative of para-sports has moved forward ever since the Rio Paralympics, and now entering its sixth term, the programme is also in alignment with several objectives of the SDGs to ensure sustainability and larger impact. Under this programme, the para-athletes have won a total of 615 medals until June 2021,” it added.
Brands
Kaspersky and KidZania want Indian children to fight hackers before they hit their teens
Kaspersky and KidZania open a cyber investigation centre in Mumbai to teach children how to outsmart hackers
MUMBAI: India’s children are growing up online faster than anyone can protect them. Kaspersky, the global cybersecurity firm, is betting that the best way to fix that is to make six-year-olds feel like detectives.
The company has opened a Cyber Investigation Centre inside KidZania Mumbai at R City Mall, Ghatkopar, in what it is calling a first-of-its-kind cybersecurity role-play experience for children. Kids suit up in Kaspersky uniforms, sit down at dedicated workstations loaded with security software, and spend 20 minutes cracking simulated cases of phishing, identity theft and cyberbullying. Up to six children can play investigator at a time. Those who crack the case walk away with a personalised Kaspersky Cyber Investigator card — and a healthy suspicion of dodgy links.
The timing is not accidental. In India, 82.2 per cent of children have access to a mobile device by the age of 14. They use it to stream, game, chat and study. Most of them have never heard the word “phishing.”
“The earlier we equip children with the awareness and skills to navigate the digital world safely, the stronger our collective digital future becomes,” said Jaydeep Singh, general manager for India at Kaspersky. Tarandeep Singh Sekhon, chief business officer of KidZania India, put it more plainly: “Every parent today is thinking about how to prepare their child for a digital-first future.”
The partnership comes with commercial sweeteners. Visitors buying KidZania tickets get a complimentary two-month Kaspersky trial subscription. Annual pass holders get a full year’s subscription thrown in. Discount vouchers go out at the exit gates.
The launch ceremony leaned into KidZania’s theatrical DNA — a diya lighting, a dance performance, a key handover, a parade through the miniature city, and a ribbon-cutting at the new centre.
Cybercriminals, it turns out, do not discriminate by age. Kaspersky and KidZania are hoping that neither will the next generation of people trying to stop them.
