The Modern India's Podcast

Dfavo® - formerly known as studyportal.io - has developed a fast, easy to use online service that enables access to education worldwide. By digitizing the application services the team have developed a popular solution to make international student recruitment both secure and transparent. This is clean and efficient Scandinavian communications design that improves the experience for applicant, counsellor, and university.

We have with us Pål Kvalheim and Harinder Aulakh, the founders of Dfavo.

Harinder Aulakh 
COO and founder, MSC Mechanical Engineering, MBA. Indian born Norwegian that after having worked in the oil and gas industry for almost 20 years decided to establish a platform that enables students to apply to higher education across the globe. 

 Paul Kvalheim
CEO and co-founder, MA Political Science and MBA, successful entrepreneur and former executive in SaaS technology and telecom industry, shares the passion to enable students to get access to higher education around the world.

Both company founders Paul Kvalheim and Harinder Aulakh benefited from studying abroad and they firmly believe the opportunity for mobility improves career and life prospects. Improving access to higher education is their ultimate goal and having generated enrolments across a wide variety of different countries they are already seeing success. In addition to the main English-speaking study destinations such as Canada, USA, and UK, Dfavo are already supporting applications to alternative study destinations such as Ukraine and Japan.

DMI invited Ganesh Shenoy, Chair of the Board of the Norwegian Business Association of India (NBAI)for a c-suite conversation on Foodtech: a foundation boon to sustainable food systems. Shenoy is also CFO & VP IT, MTR Foods Pvt Ltd (owned by Orkla). 

Here is what was discussed: 
•What is FoodTech? How it has emerged and secured its place on the the market? 
•COVID-19 is changing how we work, travel, communicate, shop and more, but how has it shifted the focus of consumers with respect to food preferences? 
•In Norway we have been talking about «Kjøttskam» for a while, meaning the meat shame. Organisations like EAT get a lot of limelight. They want us to eat less meat. What are your thoughts on that? 
•Due to advancing technologies within the food industry, as well as a demand for healthier, cheaper, and safer food products, the market is forecast to exceed 342 billion USD by 2027 from 220.32 billion USD in 2019. How would you describe India in the market share?
•What challenges lie ahead of foodtech? 
•What is the future of Foodtech?
The conversation was lead by Charanleen Kaur. 
Listen to the first part of the conversation here.

India has given the world many of its leading intellectuals. 

We are proud to have with us Dr. Parakala Prabhakar , a well known Indian political economist, political commentator, economic, and social affairs. Dr Prabhakar was an advisor to the Andhra Pradesh government from 2014 to 2018 and he is the Managing Director of RightFOLIO. 

Dr Parakala Prabhakar does not shy away from being critical of the government while being the Finance Minister’s husband. 

By 2030, the two countries will account for 34 percent of the world’s population.  Keeping in mind China's growing elderly population, declining number of childbearing women and shrinking working population base, the Chinese government has announced a three-child policy permitting a couple to have three children. 

India, home to one-sixth of all humanity, holds the key to the success of the 2030 Agenda. 

Panel:
1. Dr Parakala Prabhakar, Managing Director, Rightfolio

2. Kim Gabrielli, Executive Director at UN Global Compact Network Norway

3. Karoline Linde, CEO Laerdal Global Health

4. Rina Sunder, founder, Det moderne INDIA

The Modern India was honoured to hold 3 events at Arendalsuka 2021.

Day 1-How India will redesign the World

The world was last designed seventy-five years ago.

This is the time to look at a world redesign beyond the narrow national interests, to one which would serve the best interests of people and our planet. 

In the late nineteenth century, the three great powers were imperial Britain, the United States, and a rising Germany. In the mid-twentieth century, the US, Britain and the Soviet Union formed the dominant troika.

As the twenty-first century enters its second quartile, the three most important nations will be the US, China, and India.

The most remarkable phenomenon in Asia in the 21st century is arguably the economic rise of China and India. Amazingly, the two most populous countries in the world are uplifting millions of their citizens annually from poverty through rapid economic growth. India will be the third largest economy in the world by 2030.

We had with us on the panel:
Sam Pitroda, The father of India's communication revolution, an internationally recognized telecom inventor, entrepreneur, development thinker, and policy maker who has spent fifty years in information and communications technology (ICT) and related global and national developments.

Shabnam Siddiqui, Executive Director at UN Global Compact Network India,

Kim Gabrielli, Executive Director at UN Global Compact Network Norway, &

Rina Sunder, founder, Det moderne INDIA.

Norway serves as an exemplary model for widespread adoption of EVs, achieved through a combination of smart incentives, infrastructure, and benevolent conditions.

DMI invited the following for a seminar on Clubhouse to discuss the successful model of EV adoption in Norway.

- Ola Elvestuen is a Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party. He served as Minister of Climate and Environment from 2018 to 2020. 

- Jasmeet Khurana manages the mobility decarbonization project at the World Business Council for sustainable development.

-  Dhivik Ashok is a pioneer in the EV space of India, with a strong understanding of battery space and what works in India. He is founder of the company Go GreenBOV.

- Jan Tore Gjøvik is an eMobility educator and advisor in Norway. His wide experiences in the fast growing Norwegian EV market gives him unique insight in the electric cars domain.