News Broadcasting
MTV ACT Urges the Youth To Act This October With
MUMBAI: MTV, India’s leading youth channel is not just about music and entertainment; it is also about collaborating with young India to contribute to the social causes. MTV through their own pro social platform, MTV ACT engages with over 20 NGOs and independent organizations to support cause-based initiatives. The month of October saw MTV ACT going all out to create awareness and raise funds for the betterment of the underprivileged.
Beginning of October, MTV ACT joined hands with the crowd sourcing platform Hope Monkey to crowd fund a school for the world’s youngest headmaster in India. During the Joy of Giving week in October, MTV ACT and Hope Monkey came together to encourage the youth to have a big heart and drive the cause of education through funding the school. Hope Monkey is a crowd-source platform that gives the power to all Micro-Philanthropists to bring about change the world. The current initiative focuses on breathing life into the dreams of Babar Ali, who is also the world’s youngest headmaster at 16 years, to build a school. Now, at 21, Babar is looking to expand his backyard school to accommodate all the eager little learners in Murshidabad.
“You may think that just donating what you would spend on your morning coffee won’t make a difference, but this initiative will prove you wrong. The association with Hope Monkey is true sense is reflection of the MTV ACT philosophy of Every Action Counts. By collecting every penny donated by the young generation, Hope Monkey and MTV ACT aims to raise a corpus to support the dreams of better tomorrow.” said Sumeli Chatterjee, Head- Marketing & Insights, MTV India.
Helping the under-privileged in realizing their dreams, MTV ACT in association with the NGO Navnirmiti supported an initiative called Maha Mandi. A one of its kind event which is held every year, Maha Mandi is organized by NITIE in Mumbai. MAHA MANDI invites students from top B-schools around the country to sharpen their sales and marketing skills by selling simple NGO made products to commoners on the streets of Mumbai. The revenue hence collected is donated to charitable institutions as a token of respect and support for the noble cause they pursue. This witnessed participation from over 1000 MBA students who engaged in direct sales of the educational toys on the streets of Mumbai.
Speaking about this initiative, Sumeli Chatterjee, Head – Marketing & Insights, MTV India, said, “MTV ACT constantly strives to support various initiatives that are created by the young generation and are a step towards do-good to the overall society. Maha Mandi is in the entrepreneurial spirit of the students which teaches them different aspects of business while raising funds for a social cause.”
Furthering the MTV ACT ‘s partnership with the initiative YOU For Uttarakhand, the third music relief concert was organized in Bangalore on October 12, 2013. The concert was organized to raise funds in aid of the tragic Uttarakhand Floods which affected scores of villages and its inhabitants in the state. The line-up for the concert included leading acts by Thermal and a Quarter (TAAQ), Until We Last, Girish and the Chronicles, Solder and Moonarra. The proceeds were donated to Save the Children who is working closely to build lives of Children and families who were affected by the floods.
For those who wish to do their bit for the society can log on to mtv.in.com/act and donate for a cause that touches their heart or they can simply select any one or more causes that they would like to lend support to by simply spreading the word through their social media profile. Youth can support across causes by donating time through voluntary work or money to the NGOs working for various causes.
News Broadcasting
Induction cooktop demand spikes 30× amid LPG supply concerns
Supply worries linked to West Asia tensions push households and restaurants to turn to electric cooking alternatives
MUMBAI: As geopolitical tensions in West Asia ripple through global energy supply chains, the familiar blue flame in Indian kitchens is facing an unexpected challenger: electricity.
What began as concerns over the availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has quickly evolved into a technology-driven shift in cooking habits. Households across India are increasingly turning to induction cooktops and other electric appliances, initially as a backup but now, for many, a necessity.
A sudden surge in demand
Recent data from quick-commerce and grocery platform BigBasket highlights the scale of the shift. According to Seshu Kumar Tirumala, the company’s chief buying and merchandising officer, demand for induction cooktops has risen dramatically.
“Induction cooktops have seen a significant surge in demand, recording a fivefold jump on 10 March and a thirtyfold spike on 11 March,” Tirumala said.
The increase stands out sharply when compared with broader kitchen appliance trends. Most appliance categories are growing within 10 per cent of their typical demand levels, while induction cooktops have witnessed explosive growth as households rush to secure an alternative cooking option.
Major e-commerce platforms including Amazon and Flipkart have reported rising searches and orders for induction stoves. Quick-commerce apps such as Blinkit and Zepto have also witnessed stock shortages in major metropolitan areas including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
What was once considered a convenient appliance for hostels, small kitchens or occasional use has suddenly become an essential addition in many homes.
A crisis thousands of miles away
The trigger for this shift lies far beyond India’s kitchens.
Escalating conflict in the Middle East has disrupted shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. Nearly 85 to 90 per cent of India’s LPG imports pass through this narrow waterway, making the country particularly vulnerable to supply disruptions.
The ripple effects have been swift.
India currently meets roughly 60 per cent of its LPG demand through imports, and tightening global supply has already begun to affect domestic availability and prices.
Earlier this month, the price of domestic LPG cylinders increased by Rs 60, while commercial cylinders rose by more than Rs 114.
To discourage panic buying and hoarding, the government has also extended the mandatory waiting period between domestic refill bookings from 21 days to 25 days.
Restaurants feel the pressure
The strain is not limited to households. Restaurants, hotels and roadside eateries are also grappling with supply constraints as commercial LPG availability tightens under restrictions imposed through the Essential Commodities Act.
In cities such as Bengaluru and Chennai, restaurant associations report that commercial LPG availability has dropped by as much as 75 per cent, forcing many establishments to rethink their kitchen operations.
Some restaurants have reduced menu offerings, while others are rapidly installing high-efficiency induction systems, creating hybrid kitchens where electricity now shares the workload with gas.
For smaller eateries and roadside dhabas, the shift is less about sustainability and more about survival.
A potential structural shift
The government has maintained that there is no nationwide LPG crisis and has directed refineries to increase production to stabilise supply.
Nevertheless, the developments of March 2026 may already be triggering a longer-term behavioural shift.
For decades, LPG has been the backbone of cooking in Indian households. However, recent disruptions have highlighted the risks of relying on a single fuel source.
Increasingly, households appear to be hedging against uncertainty by adopting electric cooking options to guard against price volatility and delivery delays.
If the current trend continues, the induction cooktop, once viewed as a niche appliance, could emerge as a quiet symbol of India’s evolving kitchen economy.
