MAM
TAFE’s free of cost tractor rental platform – ‘JFarm Services’ launched in Assam by Shri. Atul Bora, Minister of Agriculture, Government of Assam
MUMBAI: TAFE’s ‘JFarm Services’is a CSR initiative aligned to TAFE’s vision of
cultivating the world to enrich the lives of farmers across India. This initiative was formally launched inAssam in partnership with the State Government, by Shri. Atul Bora, the Honorable Minister of Agriculture, Horticulture and Food Processing, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary and Town & Country Planning, Government of Assam.
TAFE’s JFarm Services aims to increase easy access to farm mechanization solutions through rental of tractors and modern farm equipment to small and marginal farmers, enhancing their productivity and increasing their income significantly.
It facilitates the hiring of tractors and modern farm machinery to farmers, free of cost, through its
Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) rental platform. TAFE’sJFarm Services will collaborate with the agricultural development officers of the Assam Government to ensure wide outreach and successful roll-out of the platform.
Agriculture continues to be the primary occupation in Assam. About 70% of the population in the state is dependent on agriculture as a source of livelihood. With majority of them being small or marginal farmers, there is tremendous potential in the state for growth and increase in productivity through farm mechanization.
Ms. Mallika Srinivasan, Chairman & CEO – TAFE, said: “India is a land of small farms. A majority of farmers in our country, almost 85% of them have no access to farm mechanization to improve their yields and income. JFarm Services is a CSR initiative that allows both – farmers offering their tractors and farm equipment on rent, and smaller farmers seeking this service, to benefit directly from the JFarm Services app. It is our aim to reach out to the farmers of Assam, touch the lives of millions of farmers across the country and achieve our Honorable Prime Minister’s vision of doubling farmers’ income by 2022.”
The JFarm Services App will connect tractor owners and Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) operated by tractors and equipment owners directly to farmers seeking farm mechanization solutions, thereby facilitating a fair and transparent rental process while focusing on quality, dependability and timely delivery. JFarm Services offers the farmers and renters a wide range of prospects for hiring and renting of farm equipment and connects them directly to negotiate and fulfil their respective requirement. With this pioneering platform, TAFE brings the benefits of the technology-enabled sharing economy to boost the income of farmers.
Mr. T R Kesavan, President & COO, Product Strategy & Corporate Relations – TAFE, said: “TAFE, in collaboration with the Government of Assam, has launched JFarm Services to create sustainable agricultural productivity and growth for the state through the shared economy model.Small and marginal farmers hold about 85% of the total land holdings in the state. This initiative will support the state in making farm mechanization available to these farmers. JFarm Services is completely transparent and is free of any hidden charges or commissions.”
Farmers can hire tractors and equipment via the JFarm Services Android App or by contacting the toll-free helpline 1800-4-200-100 / 1800-208-4242. The App can be used on low-cost Android phones, is designed to run on very little data and can be used in English and Hindiapart from the various other regional languages. The
JFarm Services App is a stellar example of the Digital India initiative, tailored to benefit the Indian agricultural landscape. This service by TAFE will foster digital empowerment of Indian farmers while creating a breed of new rural entrepreneurs and significant job opportunities.
JFarm Services, besides Assam,has a presence in states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, and has directly benefitted about 295,000 users resulting in over 820,000 hours in hired farm machinery usage. In a short span of time, JFarm Services has become one of India’s largest farm equipment aggregation operators.
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.
