Vande Bharatam invitation

Ahmedabad, July 7. Launched on the occasion of industry tycoon Gautam Adani’s 64th birthday, Vande Bharatam, a nationwide initiative to discover, nurture and empower India’s next generation of entrepreneurs, innovators and changemakers, has witnessed overwhelming response from aspiring innovators across India and beyond.

Commenting on the strong response received, Gautam Adani, Chairman, Adani Group, said: “Innovators have responded from every state of the nation and from around the world. This has deepened my belief that India’s greatest chapter is not being written in boardrooms. It is being written by people who were never given a room to begin with. That changes now.”

The initiative is open to anyone with an idea, innovation, solution or entrepreneurial project. Applicants may submit a concept, prototype, early-stage venture or established business at vandebharatam.org. The submission window closes on July 19.

Seventy-five finalists will be invited to Ahmedabad for an intensive programme featuring mentorship, industry interactions and engagement with investors and business leaders. The programme will also include prize money and category-based awards, details of which will be announced at a later stage.

GEMS expansion plan

Mumbai, June 24. GEMS Education (India), a subsidiary of the Dubai-based Varkey Group which operates GEMS Education, one of the world’s largest K-12 private school operators, has unveiled a comprehensive India expansion strategy with a projected investment of $30 million (Rs.284 crore) over the next three-five years. The plan includes promotion of 30 GEMS-managed schools, establishment of a nationwide network of over 1,000 GEMS Partner Schools, and a dedicated School of Education focused on teacher training, leadership development and education research. These initiatives aim to provide high-quality learning opportunities to more than 3 million learners, and create career pathways for over 200,000 educators to support the Viksit Bharat 2047 mission.

“Through our expansion plans, partnerships and investments in teacher development, we intend to make a meaningful contribution to India’s educational future and support the nation’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047,” says Sunny Varkey, Founder-Chairman, GEMS Education.

GSG-Haryana MoU

Chandigarh, June 2. The Singapore-based Global Schools Group (GSG), which manages 64 campuses in 11 countries with an aggregate enrolment of 45,000 students, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Haryana to invest Rs.500 crore to build world-class school education infrastructure across the state.

This initiative is expected to create 2,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities while accelerating children’s access to globally benchmarked education, innovative learning environments and future-ready academic programmes.

Commenting on the partnership, Atul Temurnikar, Chairman-Co-Founder of Global Schools Group, said: “We are honoured to partner with the Government of Haryana in its mission to build a future-ready education ecosystem. Through this partnership, we are not merely investing in educational infrastructure; we are investing in the aspirations of thousands of students, creating meaningful opportunities for educators and professionals and helping shape a generation of learners equipped to thrive in an increasingly interconnected world.”

Added Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini: “We are pleased that leading institutions are choosing Haryana as a growth partner. Such investments reinforce confidence that organisations have and contribute to our vision of accelerating development and creating new opportunities in the state.”

ARRA Scholarships

Mumbai, June. Launched in 2024 in memory of Arunkumar Mehta and Ramniklal Mehta, founders of Rosy Blue, one of India’s leading diamond companies, newly introduced ARRA Scholarships fully cover tuition, accommodation, and living expenses of first-year undergraduate and postgraduate students admitted into top-ranked management, engineering, architecture, design, medicine, law, and other study programmes through competitive national entrance examinations. Both merit- and means-based, the ARRA Scholarships are open to students whose annual household income is below Rs.35 lakh.

“While most scholarships cover tuition, few continue supporting students once they are on campus, experiencing academic pressure, adapting to a new environment, and managing emotional challenges. ARRA scholarships are designed to bridge that gap, treating financial assistance as the beginning of support rather than its entirety,” says an ARRA Foundation press note.

Comments Russell Mehta, a trustee of the foundation: “The scholarships are not charity. It is a shared journey built on trust — trust that if young people are supported holistically, they will define success on their own terms and contribute towards building a better society.”

Applications for the ARRA Scholarship Batch 2026 (Academic Year 2026-27) will open in phases between July-November 2026, in line with the admission timelines of partner institutions. Aspiring students can explore scholarship eligibility, courses covered, scholarship benefits, and the application process on www.arrascholarship.org.