News Broadcasting
iTV Network launches water sustainability project to celebrate World Water Day
MUMBAI: With 22 March marking World Water Day, iTV Network and Atom Technologies in partnership with AquaKraft Projects Pvt Ltd have initiated a special programme for administering water ATMs and public utility services.
The programme will cover the length and breadth of the country including D, E, and F category railway stations under the CSR programme facilitated by IRCTC and CMAI Association of India. Forty one water ATMs and ten state of the art public utility toilets will be initially inaugurated in the key areas of North Eastern railway district. Similar types of utility stations have already been implemented in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Rajasthan and are currently being implemented in Baramati (Maharashtra) by Aquakraft.
A water ATM works like how an ATM works. A user swipes a prepaid card, following which the water dispenser’s screen flashes the chosen amount for which the user wishes to collect water and deducts the amount from the water ATM prepaid card. Public utility toilets that are connected to the network can also be used with the card.
The major issue in India on water consumption is clean drinking water, health, hygiene and sanitation. To cope with these issues, government has undertaken several initiatives like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Clean Ganga Project to create an enabling environment for innovation and sustainability.
iTV Network founder and promoter Kartikeya Sharma said, “iTV Network has always been at the forefront of using media as a platform for change. Availability of clean drinking water is one of the key challenges today and we at iTVnetwork are happy to work closely with Aqua Kraft to create a revolution in the distribution of clean and safe drinking water.”
Aquakraft chairman and CEO Subramany Kusnur said, “Water management is an important requirement for ecologically sustainable development. Efficient consumption of water is a major issue in today’s society, thus our project has been set up to create products that can help preserve one of our key natural resources and at the same time fulfil the requirements of clean and healthy water to the nation.”
Atom technologies CEO Dewang Neralla added, “We are extremely elated to work with Aquakraft for powering their AquATMs with our prepaid cards. We strongly believe this will benefit the clusters of villages and communities around the stations and will not only provide safe drinking water but also help foster greater financial inclusion through enablement of payments for water as well as other services using the prepaid cards.”
News Broadcasting
Rajesh Sundaram joins NDTV Profit as senior editor, assignment
The 32-year newsroom veteran has launched channels on three continents and covered everything from 9/11 to South African television
MUMBAI: NDTV Profit has bolstered its newsroom with a hire who has done rather more than most. Rajesh Sundaram, a journalist with over three decades of editorial, managerial and consultative experience across India and international markets, joins as senior editor, assignment, tasked with sharpening the network’s newsgathering and real-time response.
Sundaram’s career reads like a tour of Indian media’s most formative moments. He began at Businessworld in 1994, moved to Zee News as bureau chief across Mumbai and Chennai, then joined NDTV in 2002 as part of its political bureau during a particularly febrile period in Indian politics. A stint as India correspondent for Al Jazeera International followed, where he covered key geopolitical developments and got his first serious taste of the global newsroom.
What sets Sundaram apart, however, is his serial channel-launching habit. At NewsX, he helped get the operation off the ground. At Headlines Today, part of the India Today Group, he served as editor. At News Nation, he helped launch the Hindi news channel and its digital ecosystem. He then crossed continents to lead the launch of ANN7 in South Africa as editor-in-chief, overseeing both television and digital. Back in India, he launched Tamil news channels News7 Tamil and Cauvery News, and later served as principal consultant for the launch of Marathi channel Lokshahi. Most recently, he helped build and lead the Press Trust of India’s video service and content studio, before stints consulting for Business Today and The Himalayan Times.
Rahul Kanwal, chief executive and editor-in-chief of NDTV, left little doubt about what Sundaram is expected to deliver. “The assignment desk is where a newsroom’s intent becomes action,” he said. “Rajesh brings a rare combination of field experience and leadership in building news operations at scale.”
Sundaram has reported from across India and the world, covering elections, civil conflicts, the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the 2008 US presidential election.
At NDTV Profit, he will lead the assignment desk, driving editorial coordination and real-time response across markets and breaking developments. For a business news network sharpening its focus on speed and multi-platform delivery, it has hired a man who has built newsrooms from scratch on three continents. The assignment desk is in good hands.
