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Chandigarh University becomes First Indian Private University to win MAKA Trophy

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Chandigarh University student and Indian Hockey Prodigy Sanjay Wins Arjuna Award

NEW DELHI and CHANDIGARH, India, Jan. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Shining bright in the firmament of sports, Chandigarh University has become the first private university in the country to win the prestigious Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy – 2024. The announcement for the same was made by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on Thursday. The varsity will receive MAKA trophy from the President of India, Droupdi Murmu during the National Sports Award ceremony scheduled to be organized by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on January 17, 2025.

Chandigarh University will receive a cheque of Rs 20 lakh along with the Maka Trophy during the special award ceremony. With this Chandigarh University has also become the youngest university (established in 2012) to achieve this marvelous feat to have won the prestigious MAKA trophy for its exceptional performance in sports at national and international platforms.

Adding yet another jewel to the crown, Chandigarh University student (BA), Sanjay Kumar has won the prestigious Arjuna Award for his exceptional contribution to the Indian Hockey team. Sanjay was also part of the Paris Olympics Bronze medal-winning Indian Hockey Team in 2024. He will also be felicitated along with other top national and international sports achievers during National Sports Award ceremony later this month.

It is pertinent to mention here, Chandigarh University has secured 1st rank by winning highest 71 medals; 32 Gold, 18 Silver and 21 Bronze medals in the Khelo India University Games – 2024 and achieved the unique feat of becoming the youngest university to clinch the top spot since the inception of Khelo India Games. Bringing laurels as many as 8 students from Chandigarh University have qualified for Paris Olympics 2024 scheduled to be held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024.

Delivering emphatic performances in different sporting disciplines in Asian Games in 2023, CU students have won medals in hockey, boxing, table tennis, wrestling, archery and rugby and made a significant contribution to the overall medal tally of India. Led by CU student, Pawan Kumar Sehrawat who is the captain of Indian Kabaddi team, India scripted a new history by winning gold medal in the Asian Games after a long gap of 8 years.

With highest representation of 22 players in the Indian contingent of 653 players to Asian Games, Chandigarh University students made invaluable contribution to India’s overall medal tally of 107 medals by winning 8 Gold and 2 Bronze medals in Asian Games. Chandigarh University students have won a total of 134 medals; 113 at national and 21 at international platforms in 2023-24.

Chandigarh University has a dedicated sports policy that not only hones sporting talent but also produce national and international achievers with professional training, state-of-the-art sporting infrastructure and strict diet regimen. CU provides financial support to students in the form of annual scholarships including Major Dhyan Chand Scholarship worth Rs 3.84 crores. Currently, 1183 students including 562 girls who have been availing scholarship in CU and there is an annual budget of Rs 8.5 crores for scholarships to the sportspersons that bears their overall expenses. CU also gets special diet, sports kits, expenses of visits to sports competition venues, coaching expenses, hostel accommodation among other facilities free of charge.

Elated over the marvelous achievement of Chandigarh University while congratulating the CU athletes, Chandigarh University Chancellor and Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Satnam Singh Sandhu said, “It indeed is a proud moment for all of us that Chandigarh University has become the first private university in the country to win prestigious MAKA Trophy for the year 2024. One of Chandigarh University’s students, Sanjay who is part of Indian hockey team have won the Arjuna award which indeed is a great achievement.

Sandhu added, “Bharat has witnessed a new revolution in the field of sports under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi. In order to motivate the sports-persons the government has not only increased the prize money given to medal winners but also started pension for meritorious sports person. For Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the prize money increased from Rs 7.5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh, for Dronacharya award, prize money increased from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. Similarly, for Arjuna Award, prize money increased from 5 lakh to 15 lakh and Dhyanchand award, prize money increased from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. The prize money for the medal winners has been doubled during tenure of PM Modi. For Olympic medal winners, the prize money increased by 50 percent. Now the medal winners are given upto 75 lakh. As many as 16 world class stadiums including world’s biggest cricket stadium built in Gujrat during the last ten years of Modi government.”

“Under Modi government, the budget allocation for the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has also seen a multifold increase over the years; from a mere Rs 466 crores in 2004-05, the budget for sports has been increased to Rs 3397.32 crores for the financial year 2023-24. All these measures taken under his leadership has resulted in exceptional performance by Indian athletes both at national and international platforms winning medals for the country. We are working to realize PM Modi’s vision to make India rank amongst top 10 performing countries in sports in the world,” added Sandhu.

About Chandigarh University

Chandigarh University is a NAAC A+ Grade University and QS World Ranked University. This autonomous educational institution is approved by UGC and is located near Chandigarh in the state of Punjab. It is the youngest university in India and the only private university in Punjab to be honoured with A+ Grade by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council). CU offers more than 109 UG and PG programs in the field of engineering, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, journalism, animation, hotel management, commerce, and others. It has been awarded as The University with Best Placements by WCRC.

Website address:  https://www.cuchd.in/

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Quote.com Announces New Senior Leadership Additions

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Quote.com, a leading tech-enabled, omnichannel performance marketing organization, today announced the addition of two new executive team members to support the company’s continued growth and strategic expansion. Chase Nichols joins as Chief Marketing Officer and Ben Hochstetler as Senior Vice President of Marketing.

Quote.com announced the addition of two new executive team members, Chase Nichols and Ben Hochstetler.

The appointments strengthen Quote.com’s leadership team as the company continues to invest in execution, growth, and expanding its ability to help consumers access insurance solutions more easily and efficiently. “We are excited to welcome Chase and Ben to the Quote.com leadership team,” said Nick Stommes, Chief Executive Officer at Quote.com. “Both bring deep industry expertise, experienced execution capability, and a strong focus on operational excellence that will help accelerate our growth while improving how consumers access and compare insurance options. Their leadership will play a critical role at Quote.com as we continue scaling our platform and strengthening our partnerships.”

Chase Nichols joins Quote.com as Chief Marketing Officer; Chase is responsible for all performance marketing planning, organization, and execution, and is focused on driving efficient, measurable consumer touchpoints. With nearly two decades of experience in financial services and performance marketing environments, he brings a data-first approach to scaling growth while balancing brand development and direct-response marketing.

Ben Hochstetler joins as Senior Vice President of Marketing, leading digital marketing strategy and execution across Quote.com’s omnichannel performance marketing footprint. He brings more than 15 years of experience building and scaling performance marketing execution in highly competitive and regulated markets.

About Quote.com

Quote.com is a tech-enabled omnichannel performance marketing organization that delivers high-quality, mission-critical demand at scale to industry-leading partners. The company serves customers across multiple insurance verticals, including auto, home, life, and Medicare insurance. Quote.com provides significant value to consumers by providing an independent, third-party comparison-shopping experience.

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Young Voices Across Oceans: Telling China’s Story Fiji Special Showcases GDI Achievements

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SHENZHEN, China, April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — This year marks the 5th anniversary of the Global Development Initiative (GDI). Shenzhen Media Group’s “Telling China’s Story” program presents a special Fiji season, taking the perspective of young Chinese people to the Pacific island nation of Fiji. It documents the implementation of numerous cooperative projects which are smaller in scale but well-designed, showcasing the heartwarming stories and broad prospects of China and Fiji working together to promote common development and share the fruits of cooperation, vividly illustrating the practical achievements of the GDI.

 

The program will air from April 20th to 22nd, 2026. The first episode features Chinese actor Zhao Xiaotong, food blogger Yang Beichuan, and Wu Dongwei, a doctoral student at China Agricultural University, who visit the China-Fiji Juncao Technology Demonstration Center in Nadi, Fiji, to explore how this “Happiness Juncao” from China has taken root and grown in the South Pacific island nation, benefiting people’s livelihoods.

This “Happiness Juncao” has yielded “win-win results” in Fiji, bringing tangible changes to local families. Internet technology engineer Ashmir not only gained a stable income by learning Juncao (a type of grass cultivation) to grow mushrooms, but also successfully paid off his car loan.

During this filming, a “Mushroom Team” of young Chinese people joined Ashmir in a Fijian market to promote mushroom dishes and introduce locals to various new ways to enjoy mushrooms. The humble mushroom became a bond of friendship across mountains and seas, conveying the warm sentiments of mutual understanding between the Chinese and Fijian people amidst the bustling market atmosphere.

 

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Laminar Wins Gold 2026 Edison Award for Physical AI that Powers the Self-Driving Factory

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Top honor recognizes Laminar’s innovation and transformation in the CPG manufacturing industry

BOSTON, April 22, 2026 /CNW/ — Laminar, a physical AI solution helping the world’s leading manufacturers run more productive and sustainable factories, announced that it received a Gold 2026 Edison Award in the Manufacturing & Logistics category. The award recognizes Laminar for enabling food and beverage manufacturers to unlock new levels of productivity and sustainability through innovation – running faster production lines while cutting water, chemicals, and downtime.

“Laminar is leading the way CPG manufacturers implement physical AI on the factory floor with first-of-their-kind self-driving processes,” said Annie Lu, Laminar Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder. “Our patented spectral sensors and complete library of ML models enable a new, transformative approach to closed-loop automation, making the goal of the self-driving factory achievable today. We are honored the Edison Awards recognized our commitment to building a new category of technology and reshaping the future of manufacturing.”

Laminar’s physical AI transforms operations by enabling CPG manufacturers to transition from manual, timer-based operations to self-driving. Deployed across six continents for Coca-Cola, AB InBev, Danone, and Unilever, Laminar delivers measurable sustainability and profitability gains from the same investment. Laminar’s self-driving processes include:

Self-Driving Clean-in-PlaceSelf-Driving Product ChangeoverSelf-Driving Batch OptimizationSelf-Driving Quality ControlAnd more

The Edison Awards, established in 1987 and named in honor of inventor Thomas Edison, celebrates game-changing innovation across industries worldwide. Drawing a global community of innovators across 60+ countries, the Edison Awards elevate solutions that reimagine our future.

Recognition for Laminar’s Innovation

Headquartered at Greentown Labs in Somerville, MA – North America’s leading cleantech incubator – Laminar is a woman-founded startup backed by top-tier investors, including Greycroft, Construct Capital, 2048 Ventures, and Flybridge Capital.

Recognized for its innovation and impact, Laminar received AB InBev’s 2024 Cheers Award for outstanding startup partnership and was named Unilever’s 2023 Supplier Startup of the Year. Laminar’s solution is also deployed in World Economic Forum Lighthouse factories recognized for their leadership in cutting-edge technology.

About Laminar

Laminar’s physical AI helps the world’s leading manufacturers run self-driving factories with more sustainable, efficient operations. Our patented spectral sensors and complete library of ML models transform manual operations into self-driving processes that cut water, chemicals, and downtime in real-time. Deployed in factories across six continents and trusted by global leaders like AB InBev, Coca-Cola, and Unilever, Laminar is building a new category of physical AI that will power the future of process manufacturing. Learn more at runlaminar.com

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