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SML Digital to launch ‘The Secretariat’
Mumbai: SML Digital Media Pvt. Ltd., will soon launch “The Secretariat”, a niche portal focused on demystifying governance and government policy that are key to understanding the rapid transformation in the world’s fifth largest economy, India.
Veteran journalist and former Press Trust of India editor Rajesh Mahapatra will lead the venture as its editor-in-chief. The portal is expected to go live on 1 November.
The Secretariat is a non-partisan platform that will track and explain policies that impact a range of economic, social, environmental and digital domains. It adopts a dive-deep approach to unpacking and studying policy and policy-making, while also aiming to provide a platform for stakeholders to find meaningful solutions.
“We will focus on five key themes – Digitalising Economy, Sustainability, Future of Work, Urbanising India and Geo-economics,” said SML Digital Media Pvt. Ltd. director Kajal Vadodaria.
“The functioning of the government and bureaucracy at the Centre and the states will also be a focus of our coverage, besides tracking the people and processes behind policy-making,” she added.
In its effort to deepen and democratise the discourse on public policy, The Secretariat will collaborate with research institutions and disseminate the outcomes of their research to a wider audience.
“The Secretariat will offer a distinctive universe of content that is not merely informative but also deeply insightful and demonstrably intelligent so that our consumers – whether knowledge-seekers or investors looking to understand India – can make informed choices,” said Mahapatra, who has extensively written and reported on India’s economic transformation over the past three decades.
“Digital audiences are coming of age. The demand for niche, quality content is growing. The Secretariat seeks to respond to this growing need,” said Mahapatra who had previously steered digital transformation efforts at the Hindustan Times as its chief content officer.
“On the content front, we will take a less-is-more approach – making our stories stand out for high-impact analysis, expansive reportage and exclusive insights,” Mahapatra said. “We will have a stylish, contemporary voice, committed to views, counter views and opinion and not doctrinaire.”
The Secretariat will follow a Freemium model. While the bulk of the content will be behind a paywall, a curated set of policy news can be accessed.
“At SML Digital, we have built a robust tech and product team over the past year to ensure The Secretariat deploys the best-in-class techniques of digital story-telling, including AI, and offers such compelling content that our audiences will be happy to pay,” Vadodaria said.
eNews
Piyush Thakur steps down as Inshorts’ chief revenue officer
Former vice president and cro says exit marks a new chapter after close to a decade of building revenue and partnerships at Inshorts Group.
NOIDA: Piyush Thakur has stepped away from Inshorts Group after nearly 10 years with the company, marking the end of a long tenure that culminated in his role as chief revenue officer.
In a farewell note, Thakur said he was “turning a new page” after almost a decade at Inshorts, calling it one of the hardest professional decisions he has made. He added that his exit was not driven by uncertainty about the future, but by reflection on a long association with the company.
Thakur joined Inshorts in October 2016 as vice president and spent around seven years in the role before being elevated to chief revenue officer in April 2024, a position he held until April 2026.
He said his tenure was defined by “thousands of mornings, late nights, product debates and breakthrough moments”, as the company evolved into a large-scale digital news platform used by millions.
In his note, Thakur emphasised that Inshorts’ growth was a collective effort across teams, adding that engineers, designers, sales teams and customer support staff all contributed to building the platform. He said the company’s success was not the result of individuals but of “everyone who stayed, passed through, and left their mark”.
Before Inshorts, Thakur worked across several digital media and business development roles. At ESPN, he served as senior regional manager from October 2015 to October 2016, focusing on growth initiatives, strategic opportunities and video distribution.
At Times Internet, he worked for nearly three years, including as head of business development from April 2015 to September 2015 and chief manager from January 2013 to March 2015. His responsibilities included monetisation of mobile platforms, managing media and developer partnerships, and driving revenue across digital properties such as The Times of India and The Economic Times.
Earlier, he worked at Brandmovers as head of business development from June 2012 to June 2013, handling digital, mobile and social media marketing solutions, client development and strategic consulting. During this period, he also worked on advertising revenue, brand strategy and CRM-based solutions.
At Inshorts, Thakur’s role focused on revenue strategy, mobile and media partnerships, and growth initiatives across platforms. His profile highlights experience in mobile product management, digital business models, partner ecosystems and revenue expansion in high-growth environments.
