Gurgaon (Haryana) [India], June 12: India's aviation crisis is not one shortage. It is four, and most flying schools are only solving one of them. Ask most people what India's aviation talent problem looks like, and they will say: not enough pilots. That answer is correct, but dangerously incomplete.

Industry and government estimates suggest the country could require between 30,000 and 37,000 additional pilots over the coming two decades, along with a substantial expansion of its maintenance workforce to support growing fleets.

Foreign airlines - particularly in the Middle East and Southeast Asia - are hiring away India's pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers, technicians, and cabin crew, creating a vicious cycle where Indian carriers invest in training only to see their talent leave for better-paying international cockpits.

India's aviation talent problem, correctly understood, is a pipeline problem. The country needs not just pilots, but the instructors to train them, the maintenance engineers to certify their aircraft, the English language compliance to clear them for international operations, and the institutional infrastructure to sustain all of it simultaneously. The aviation industry does not suffer from a lack of interest. It suffers from a lack of job-ready talent.

This is precisely the problem Chimes Aviation Academy (CAA) – a DGCA-approved Flying Training Organisation with 18 years of operations in Madhya Pradesh – was built to address. Not as a single-service pilot academy, but as a structured, multi-layer aviation talent ecosystem producing graduates ready for airline operations from day one.

Layer One: Commercial Pilot Training That Produces Airline-Ready Graduates

The foundation of CAA's ecosystem is its Commercial Pilot Licence program- DGCA-approved, fully residential, and built around a 33-aircraft fleet equipped entirely with Garmin G1000 glass cockpit avionics. This distinction matters more than it appears. Many flying training organisations in India still train on analogue-instrument aircraft. Pilots who learn on glass cockpit systems transition to commercial airline type ratings with measurably shorter adoption curves - reducing the time and cost between CPL completion and the left seat of an Airbus A320.

CAA's training bases at Dhana and Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh offer unique advantages: unrestricted airspace, year-round flyable weather, and the operational density of a live airport environment. Cadets at CAA's residential campus do not commute to training. They live adjacent to the flight line, interact with active maintenance teams, and operate within an academy-operated RCR environment from their first day. This is ab initio pilot training in its most complete form - and it is why CAA's average CPL completion timeline of approximately 10 months of flying training consistently outperforms the national average.

Over 200,000 flight hours logged since inception. More than 1000 alumni are now employed with IndiGo Airlines, Air India, Air India Express, Akasa Air, Emirates, Qatar Airways and more. The numbers do not describe a flying school. They describe a training ecosystem that consistently delivers industry-ready pilots.

Layer Two: The Airline Cadet Pathway Nobody Else Has Built

CAA operates India's only fully homegrown IndiGo Cadet Pilot Program with a structured pathway to an airline career as its outcome. The program takes a cadet from zero flying experience to a commercial licence with type rating in 20 months, with graduates entering airline operations directly as junior first officers.

Airlines have launched cadet pilot programs offering conditional job offers and financing support - but these are still nascent and insufficient for India's scale. CAA's program is not nascent. It has completed multiple batches over several years. For an aspirant researching how to become a commercial pilot in India, this pathway represents the most direct, institutional answer currently available from any Indian FTO.

Layer Three: Building the Instructors India Is Running Out Of

India's aviation boom is threatened not just by pilot shortages but also by a severe flight instructor shortage - the invisible chokepoint that limits how fast the entire FTO sector can scale. You cannot train more pilots without more qualified instructors. And qualified instructors do not appear spontaneously - they require a structured pathway of their own.

CAA's IndiGo Flying Instructor Program (FIP)  addresses this directly, creating a formal route for qualified commercial pilots to transition into instructional roles within an operational training environment. This is not a peripheral offering. In a country where the instructor shortage limits training throughout the entire FTO sector, an institution that produces flight instructors as a deliberate output - not just as a byproduct - is doing something categorically different from a school that teaches CPL and stops there.

Layer Four: Aircraft Maintenance; The Engineering Backbone of the Ecosystem

A pilot licence means little without airworthy aircraft; and airworthy aircraft require skilled maintenance engineers. CAA's on-site maintenance facility is not merely a support function for its training fleet. It operates as a live upskilling environment where aspiring aircraft maintenance engineers and technicians work alongside active AMEs on a 33-aircraft fleet, building the hands-on hours and regulatory familiarity that airlines demand from day one. Graduates from this pathway have gone on to join airline maintenance operations directly - adding a critical engineering pipeline to CAA's broader talent output.

Layer Five: Aviation English - The Silent Licence Barrier

One capability that often receives less attention in discussions around workforce readiness is Aviation English Language Proficiency (AELP) - despite being a mandatory competency for pilots and air traffic controllers operating in international aviation environments. ICAO introduced language proficiency requirements after multiple accident investigations identified communication failures as a recurring safety risk.

AELP certification to ICAO Level 4 is mandatory for DGCA licence endorsement and international operations clearance. Most CPL graduates in India encounter this requirement late in their training cycle, creating expensive delays and career bottlenecks they did not anticipate.

CAA operates a dedicated AELP Training and Testing Centre - open not only to CAA cadets but also to external candidates across India's aviation sector. This is institutional infrastructure that serves the broader aviation talent pipeline, not just CAA's own enrolment numbers.

Why Ecosystem Matters More Than Output

As India expands its aviation training capacity to meet rising demand for pilots, engineers, and crew, the conversation often focuses on numbers: more seats, more aircraft, more licences issued. But aviation training is not simply a question of output.

Many institutions can train pilots. Fewer can also train instructors. Even fewer operate their own maintenance facility, operate their own dedicated RCR, host an AELP testing centre, and deliver a residential cadet programme with direct airline pathways from multiple campuses working in coordination.

This is the distinction that separates an academy nurturing an aviation talent ecosystem from a flying school. A flying school takes aspiring pilots and issues them licences. CAA takes aspiring pilots and produces airline-ready professionals - with the instructors, the maintenance standards, the language compliance infrastructure, and the operational environment to support the full transition.

India's aviation sector is one of the few fields where a student fresh out of school can, within two to three years, be sitting in the right-hand seat of a commercial jet, earning a salary that most graduates take a decade to reach. That outcome, consistently delivered at scale, requires more than a runway and aircraft. It requires the kind of integrated infrastructure and team that takes years to build.

Chimes Aviation Academy has been building it for 18 years. The 1000+ alumni flying today are a testament to what that investment produces.

Chimes Aviation Academy is a DGCA-approved Flying Training Organisation operating from Dhana and Neemuch Airbases, Madhya Pradesh, and a Ground Training School in Gurugram, Haryana. Programs: CPL, CAA IndiGo Cadet Pilot Program, PPL, Multi-Engine IR, Flying Instructor Rating, AELP Training & Testing, Foreign Licence Conversion. 

Website: www.caaindia.com

Disclaimer: The content of this post has been automatically published from an agency feed without any changes to the original text and has not been reviewed by our company's editor. Our editorial team or company does not take responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies.

In today's digital era, as the world becomes increasingly dependent on technology, the need for visionary leaders—those who build not merely technical solutions but also trust, security, and stability—becomes even more pronounced. One such inspiring figure is Mr. Anant Sureschandra Potdar, who has made a significant contribution to strengthening India's financial ecosystem through over 30 years of exceptional service in the field of Information Technology.

Recently, the Emerging Achievers Award Council conferred upon him a Government-Approved Lifetime Membership Certificate and, in recognition of his unparalleled contributions to the IT sector, bestowed upon him an Honorary Doctorate Award (Honoris Causa in Information Technology). This honor serves not only as a testament to his achievements but also as an inspiration to the millions of young professionals aspiring to build their careers in the technology domain.

A highly respected IT leader, Mr. Potdar has played a pivotal role in building and managing mission-critical technology infrastructure within India's financial sector, particularly through his long-standing leadership at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). His expertise spans Enterprise IT Strategy, Datacenter Operations, Risk Management, Hybrid Cloud Transformation, Vendor Governance, and Business Continuity Planning.

Throughout his career, he has successfully led the development of high-availability datacenters, disaster recovery frameworks, and secure digital infrastructures that have strengthened the resilience and reliability of India's financial markets. His strategic vision transformed IT from a support function into a key business enabler.

Mr. Potdar strongly believes that true technology leadership is built on resilience, responsibility, security, and long-term value creation. His inspiring journey serves as a beacon for aspiring technology professionals, demonstrating that success is achieved through continuous learning, strategic thinking, integrity, and unwavering commitment. With three decades of excellence, Mr. Anant Sureschandra Potdar continues to inspire the next generation of leaders while contributing significantly to India's digital and financial transformation.

Thirty years of distinguished service, national-level accolades, the conferral of an Honorary Doctorate, and significant contributions toward strengthening India’s financial technology infrastructure—all these achievements firmly establish him among the country's leading technology pioneers. Mr. Anant Sureschandra Potdar truly embodies a philosophy wherein technology transcends the role of a mere tool, emerging instead as a potent medium for nation-building, fostering trust, and shaping the future.

His inspiring journey stands as a testament to the fact that when experience, integrity, leadership, and innovation converge, even the impossible becomes possible. He will now be known as Dr. Anant Sureshchandra Potdar.

Journalist – Priya Magarrati

pIndus Net Technologies, oerating globally as INT. is that company. And after nearly three decades of building steadily, its relevance is becoming harder to ignore.

The Sectors That Cannot Afford to Get Technology Wrong

India's BFSI sector is undergoing its most consequential technology transition in a generation. The industry’s market cap is at ₹91 trillion ($1.1 trillion+), with India's fintech adoption rate standing at 87%, far above the global average of 67%. Digital payments alone may cross $10 trillion by 2026, driven by UPI, Aadhaar, and mobile penetration. Yet beneath these headline numbers, a structural gap persists. Indian BFSI entities currently allocate just 3 to 5% of revenue to technology, against global peers spending 8 to 10%. The platforms processing India's banking transactions are frequently running on architecture built for a different era.

Pharma faces a parallel reckoning. India's pharmaceutical sector, valued at nearly $65 billion, supplies approximately 20% of the world's generic medicines — and aspires to build a $130 billion market by 2030. The global pharma digital transformation market, valued at $18.4 billion in 2023, is expected to reach $45.2 billion by 2030, with 63% of pharma CEOs now citing digital transformation as a top priority for revenue growth. But HCP engagement platforms, pharmacovigilance workflows, and supply chain systems in most Indian pharma companies remain fragmented, legacy-dependent, and unready for the AI era.

These two sectors, high stakes, high complexity, and chronically under-digitised, are precisely where INT. has built its deepest delivery expertise.

What 28 Years of Enterprise Delivery Actually Looks Like

Founded in Kolkata in 1997 by Abhishek Rungta with a ₹50 investment and a conviction that Indian technology talent could serve global enterprises, INT. has grown into a 1,100+ professional enterprise operating across 45 countries from six global offices. It has delivered for IndusInd Bank, SBI General Insurance, DCB Bank, Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance, and Ageas Insurance (UK) in BFSI, and for Cipla in Life Sciences, among a 500+ client portfolio spanning Tesco, Honeywell, and Somax Inc. (USA).

The outcomes are not theoretical. A multilingual offline-ready portal built for SBI General Insurance delivered a 62% reduction in support requests and a 3x increase in claim tracker adoption among policyhold or Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance, INT. automated the sales performance MIS process, eliminating manual reporting that had c ers in Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets. A website redesign for DCB Bank produced a 70% improvement in mobile usability and a 40% reduction in bounce rate. For Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance, INT. automated the sales performance MIS process, eliminating manual reporting that had consumed dozens of hours of leadership time each week. For Ageas Insurance (UK), INT. built a mature product from scratch, now deployed at hundreds of sites across Europe.

These are not case studies. They are operating metrics inside India's most scrutinised financial institutions.

The Full-Stack Difference

What distinguishes INT. from the niche vendors that crowd India's enterprise technology market is the breadth of capability delivered under a single partnership. Leading pharma companies are now embedding AI, automation, and digital twins into every layer of the enterprise, connecting R&D, manufacturing, commercial, and supply chain into a single responsive network. INT.'s Life Sciences practice, anchored by its Cipla engagement, is precisely positioned to deliver that integration without the client managing multiple vendor relationships.

Recognised five consecutive times as a Great Place to Work, ranked in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 and Fast 500 Asia Pacific, and now a pre-IPO company with DRHP filed in 2024, INT. is entering a new chapter, with the same foundational conviction Abhishek Rungta had in 1997: that technology is only worth building if it makes a measurable difference to the business it serves.

For India's banks, insurers, and pharma companies, that difference has been quietly compounding for nearly three decades.

INT. (Indus Net Technologies) is a full-stack digital transformation company headquartered in Kolkata, India. With 1,100+ professionals, 500+ enterprise clients across 45 countries. INT. delivers AI, Cloud, Cybersecurity, Digital Engineering, and Customer Experience solutions for BFSI, Life Sciences, and Retail enterprises. Learn more at intglobal.com.

The film stars an ensemble cast featuring Milind Gunaji, Zarina Wahab, Mushtaq Khan, and many others. Directed by Rakesh Sawant, the film is produced by Shweta Chauhan, Bhanwar Singh Pundir, and Rakesh Sawant.

One of the biggest highlights of the evening was the heartfelt tribute by Rakhi Sawant, who delivered a special, never-before-seen performance dedicated to Asrani Ji, celebrating his unforgettable contribution to Indian cinema. Her emotional act left the audience nostalgic and deeply moved.

The trailer received an overwhelming response from the media and attendees for its gripping narrative, powerful performances, and commercial entertainment value. The film revolves around a dark and intense murder mystery involving Thakur Vishwajeet Singh and Sawatei, whose family conflicts spiral into shocking crimes and suspenseful revelations. The investigation is led by Inspector Dev and Inspector Rana, taking audiences through a thrilling journey packed with drama, romance, action, music, and suspense.

Set against the scenic beauty of Uttarakhand, the film promises visually rich storytelling along with soulful music and emotional depth.

Director Rakesh Sawant said, “This film is extremely special and emotional for all of us because it carries the legacy and final performance of Asrani Ji. We wanted to create a complete entertainer while also giving audiences a memorable cinematic experience filled with suspense, emotion, and powerful performances.”

Producer Bhanwar Singh Pundir shared, “The response we received at the trailer launch has been overwhelming. It is a proud moment for our entire team to celebrate Asrani Ji’s incredible contribution to cinema through this film. Audiences will witness a perfect blend of thriller, entertainment, and emotion.”

Under the banner of Jaya Films and Gajanan Motion Movies, the film is produced by Shweta Chauhan, Bhanwar Singh Pundir, and Rakesh Sawant and directed by Rakesh Sawant.

The movie stars Asrani, Milind Gunaji, Zarina Wahab, Raksha Gupta, Muskan Verma, Vishnu Sharma, Abhinav Chauhan, and Mushtaq Khan.

“Hum Angrezon Ke Zamane Ke Jailor Hai” releases in cinemas on 12th June 2026.

Trailer link:  https://youtu.be/47x3HaalBAk?si=FY_SGLsxHi791uck

Released annually, the PPAI 100 is widely regarded as the most respected benchmark in the global promotional products industry. It evaluates more than 15,000 PPAI members worldwide based on a rigorous matrix of revenue performance, digital innovation, corporate responsibility, workforce strength, and market influence. In a testament to India’s rising dominance, Consortium Gifts joins 8 celebrated members of IGC Global Promotions who secured spots on the list. Further strengthening its global standing, Consortium Gifts (PPAI 582614, International) has recorded an impressive 58% revenue growth since 2022, reaching $6.1 million in 2025. Headquartered in Noida, India, the company has built its reputation around technology-driven gifting solutions, deploying proprietary AI tools across departments ranging from customer service to warehousing, while integrating a top-tier CRM ecosystem with custom-built microsites designed to deliver enhanced client engagement and seamless gifting experiences.

Unmatched Client Retention and Service Excellence

With a legacy spanning a quarter of a century, the company has engineered an institutional-grade distribution framework trusted by some of the world’s most demanding corporate giants. The brand continues to dominate the premium B2B landscape, retaining a marquee clientele that features market leaders such as Salesforce, BMW, Deloitte, and Adobe amongst others. Consortium Gifts consistently outperforms the market through its client-first servicing architecture, resulting in industry-leading retention rates by seamlessly blending everyday luxury utilities with high-performance tech innovations.

Speaking on this landmark recognition for Consortium Gifts in the 2026 PPAI 100 rankings, Founder and Managing Director, Gaurav Bhagat, said, "Being recognised among the top 100 promotional products companies globally is a defining milestone for Consortium Gifts and a proud moment for India’s corporate gifting industry on the international stage. As one of the few Indian companies to be represented in the PPAI 100 rankings, this recognition reflects the trust our clients place in us, the consistency of our service excellence, and the long-standing relationships we have built through customer-first execution and innovation-led growth. We are honoured to stand alongside some of the most respected global players in the industry, and this achievement further strengthens our vision of positioning Consortium Gifts among the world’s top 50 promotional products companies in the coming years. Our focus remains on scaling globally while continuing to deliver unmatched quality, strategic creativity, operational excellence, and meaningful brand experiences for our clients across markets.”

“PPAI is proud to recognize every company earning recognition through this ultimate measure of industry leadership,” said Josh Ellis, PPAI’s senior director of media, research and public affairs. “The firms that have earned this status do business right. They represent the leading edge of the branded merch industry through their commitment to innovation and responsibility, their business practices and philosophy. PPAI 100 takes a well-rounded approach to measuring business performance, the companies earned their ranking through careful consideration of every aspect of their organisation, and it identifies the best of the best.”

 A Sustainable, People-First Global Standard

Beyond design ingenuity, Consortium Gifts is actively elevating India’s international reputation through verified ESG commitments. The company is EcoVadis approved, guaranteeing that its supply chain, premium materials, and manufacturing methodologies meet stringent international sustainability, ethical labor, and environmental compliance frameworks.

On the responsibility front, Consortium Gifts actively plants trees on behalf of clients once orders cross a defined threshold, reinforcing its commitment to environmental stewardship. The company also partners with manufacturers committed to ethical labor practices and invests deeply in employee growth through an English language development initiative in partnership with Gyan Kosh. This dedication to operational integrity begins from within. Celebrated for its vibrant, progressive corporate culture, Consortium Gifts has officially been certified as a Great Place to Work in both 2024 and 2025. This sustained workforce strength ensures that top-tier talent continues to drive every aspect of its client servicing, innovation, and technology adoption.

About Consortium Gifts

Consortium Gifts is a leading corporate gifting and promotional merchandise company running over 25 years in action, specialising in customised gifting solutions, branded merchandise, employee engagement kits, luxury hampers, event merchandise, and end-to-end fulfilment services for brands across India and international markets. The company works with leading enterprises and institutions to create memorable brand experiences through innovative gifting solutions.

 About PPAI:

Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) is the world’s largest and longest-serving international not-for-profit branded merchandise association with a 120-year history of serving a membership, that has grown to more than 15,000 corporate members and advocating for the $27+ billion merch industry with its more than 33,700 businesses and more than 500,000 professionals. For more information https://ppai.org.

For media inquiries, collaborations, or partnership opportunities, please contact:

Consortium Gifts

Srishti Tiwari pr@consortiumgifts.com

7042423790

Skill Education That Goes the Distance

In classrooms across 500-plus schools in 12 Indian states and the Middle East, one thing is consistent: every student who completes a skill module on Ulipsu produces something — a project, submitted, assessed, and tied directly to the certificate they earn. That is not incidental to how the platform works. That is the entire point.

When Ulipsu's founding team began building its curriculum eight years ago, they acted on a specific insight: turning learning into capability requires one step that most platforms skip — the moment a student stops consuming a lesson and starts building something with it. Ulipsu was designed to make that step unavoidable.

Today, Ulipsu reaches over five lakh students across its full network as of 2025-26. In the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years, students completed over 8.6 lakh hands-on projects and earned more than 1.28 lakh certifications across future-focused skill domains.

The Difference Between Knowing and Doing

Consuming a lesson and acquiring a skill are not the same thing. A student who has watched a series of videos on data science has encountered data science. A student who has collected a dataset, calculated moving averages, visualised outputs through charts, and written a structured report has used data science. The difference is not cosmetic — it is the difference between recognition and capability.

Ulipsu's curriculum was built on that distinction. Every module is designed so that learning leads somewhere tangible: not just to a certificate, but to something the student has made.

Three Stages. No Shortcuts.

Every skill module on Ulipsu follows a three-stage structure, and the third stage cannot be skipped.

Students begin with video-based, gamified lessons that deliver real-time feedback as they learn. They then move through game-based evaluations that test genuine understanding rather than rote recall. The third stage is the project: a hands-on challenge in which the student builds something using what they have learned, submits it through the platform, and has it reviewed by their teacher.

Learn. Demonstrate understanding. Build. That sequence holds across every module from Grade 1 to Grade 10. The project is embedded into the evaluation structure of every module and is directly tied to the internationally accredited certificate the student receives upon completion.

What Students Actually Build

Across Ulipsu's 16-plus skill modules, the project briefs are grounded in real-world challenges scaled to the school level. Students in the Data Science module collect datasets, calculate moving averages, and document their findings in structured reports. In the Coding module, more than 15,000 students created games using block-based coding platforms over the past two years, while over 5,000 built interactive storytelling projects combining narrative thinking with code logic.

In the Artificial Intelligence module, more than 3,100 students from higher grades completed Python-based projects, while nearly 6,000 built AI-powered solutions integrating concepts from artificial intelligence and data science. The Entrepreneurship module produced more than 55,000 startup and business concept submissions, alongside thousands of financial simulation and business decision-making projects built around real-world scenarios.

Every submission is recorded on the student's individual Skill Report — a detailed document capturing assessment performance and project completions across every module completed. By the time a student reaches Class 10, their Skill Portfolio is not a list of certificates. It is a documented record of things they have built.

A Certificate That Means Something

Each student who completes a skill module — including its assessed project — receives an internationally accredited certificate co-branded with ISTE, recognised across 127 countries, and STEM.org, trusted in 80 countries. These credentials accumulate into a Skill Portfolio: a verifiable, evidence-backed record of applied learning that travels with the student throughout their academic career.

For school leaders, the Skill Portfolio also addresses a practical priority: NEP 2020, India's National Education Policy, places explicit emphasis on skills-based, experiential learning outcomes. Ulipsu's documented project records give schools a concrete, verifiable way to demonstrate that their students are meeting those goals — not through certificates alone, but through work produced and assessed in the classroom.

"We wanted the certificate to mean something," said Nikhil K B, co-founder and CTO. "A student's Skill Portfolio shows what they built, how they performed in assessments, and certifications aligned with recognised international accreditation standards. That is a very different conversation from a certificate that simply says they watched 12 videos."

Every Student Gets There

When project work is optional, a predictable pattern emerges. Students who complete projects tend to be those who already have engaged parents, self-directed motivation, and time outside school hours to invest. Optionality, in most school environments, tends to benefit those who already have access — not those who need the opportunity most.

Ulipsu's model removes that optionality entirely. The project is built into the curriculum. It is delivered during school hours and assessed by the teacher using a structured evaluation framework built into the platform. Every enrolled student completes it.

This has particular significance in Ulipsu's government school deployments, which span 200 institutions serving 1.5 lakh students — many from first-generation learner households where after-school enrichment is simply not available. For these students, the embedded project component is the mechanism that takes their learning all the way to application, within the single point of access they have.

Building Deeper, Reaching Further

For Ulipsu, the next phase means expanding further across government schools, private institutions, and CSR-led education initiatives, ensuring that every student who completes a module gains a skill they can demonstrate, not just a certificate they can display.

The measure Ulipsu holds itself to is not the number of certificates issued or schools onboarded, it is whether students completing its modules can demonstrate their skills in practice. Not in theory. Not under recall conditions. Through work they have produced, submitted, and had assessed.

That structural commitment was made eight years ago. Over 10 lakh projects completed since then are evidence.

Disclaimer: The content of this post has been automatically published from an agency feed without any changes to the original text and has not been reviewed by our company's editor. Our editorial team or company does not take responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies.