India
The Mandovi River, in particular, is a popular destination for houseboat cruises. These cruises offer panoramic views of Goa's verdant landscapes and riverside vistas.<\/p>\n<p>Choose from day cruises, sunset cruises, overnight stays, or multi-day excursions to explore remote and lesser-known areas of the backwaters.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//30//15//78//808x539_cmsv2_c0742e25-f967-5f00-8e54-c337f4a55cb2-8301578.jpg/" alt=\"Houseboat experiences in Goa offer a unique opportunity to explore the region's picturesque backwaters\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/384x256_cmsv2_c0742e25-f967-5f00-8e54-c337f4a55cb2-8301578.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/640x427_cmsv2_c0742e25-f967-5f00-8e54-c337f4a55cb2-8301578.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/750x500_cmsv2_c0742e25-f967-5f00-8e54-c337f4a55cb2-8301578.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/828x552_cmsv2_c0742e25-f967-5f00-8e54-c337f4a55cb2-8301578.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/1080x720_cmsv2_c0742e25-f967-5f00-8e54-c337f4a55cb2-8301578.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/1200x800_cmsv2_c0742e25-f967-5f00-8e54-c337f4a55cb2-8301578.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/1920x1281_cmsv2_c0742e25-f967-5f00-8e54-c337f4a55cb2-8301578.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Houseboat experiences in Goa offer a unique opportunity to explore the region's picturesque backwaters<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Canva<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>Temples and churches: Discover spiritual sites in Goa<\/h2><p>Explore Goa's ancient temples, each a testament to the region's rich cultural tapestry, to learn more about its spiritual legacy.<\/p>\n<p>Visit the <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//culture//2023//12//04//palestinian-dance-to-italian-opera-singing-unesco-set-to-reveal-intangible-heritage-list-f/">UNESCO/strong>/a>-listed Bom Jesus Basilica, a 16th-century marvel renowned for its exquisite Baroque architecture and housing the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier, a prominent Jesuit missionary.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most revered temples in Goa is the Shree Mangesh temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva. Situated in the village of Mangeshi in Ponda taluka, this temple is renowned for its exquisite architecture, intricate carvings, and spiritual significance.<\/p>\n<p>Another must-visit temple in Goa is the Shanta Durga Temple, dedicated to Goddess Shantadurga, the goddess of peace and harmony. Located in the village of Kavalem, this temple is an architectural marvel, with its towering spires, ornate pillars, and beautifully landscaped gardens.<\/p>\n<p>The deity is depicted seated on a lotus flower, flanked by two lions, symbolising strength and courage.<\/p>\n<h2>Goa's most beautiful beaches: Stretch out on sandy shorelines<\/h2><p>Goa is well known for its laid-back beaches and secluded coves where you can sunbathe, swim, hop on a jet ski, and rip along the waves.<\/p>\n<p>Calangute Beach, often called the \u2018Queen of Beaches\u2019, is one of the most popular beaches in Goa.<\/p>\n<p>Stretching for miles along the Arabian Sea, the beach is dotted with shacks, cafes, and water sports operators offering various activities such as parasailing, jet skiing, and banana boat rides.<\/p>\n<p>Adjacent to Calangute Beach lies Baga <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//travel//2024//02//26//best-beaches-in-the-world-are-all-in-europe-portugal-italy-and-spain-named-traveller-favou/">Beach/strong>/a>, famous for its golden sands, colourful fishing boats and energetic vibe.<\/p>\n<p>It's a hotspot of Goan nightlife and is lined with beachfront clubs, bars, and restaurants where you can feast on traditional cuisine and hit the dancefloor as dusk falls.<\/p>\n<p>Agonda Beach and Palolem Beach are ideal for a more serene beach setting. Located in South Goa, these beaches are renowned for their pristine beauty, soft golden sands, and crystal-clear waters.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//30//15//78//808x539_cmsv2_4888c646-f1e9-532a-81e8-01fcd0ce39f6-8301578.jpg/" alt=\"Goa is well known for its laid-back beaches and secluded coves\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/384x256_cmsv2_4888c646-f1e9-532a-81e8-01fcd0ce39f6-8301578.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/640x427_cmsv2_4888c646-f1e9-532a-81e8-01fcd0ce39f6-8301578.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/750x500_cmsv2_4888c646-f1e9-532a-81e8-01fcd0ce39f6-8301578.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/828x552_cmsv2_4888c646-f1e9-532a-81e8-01fcd0ce39f6-8301578.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/1080x720_cmsv2_4888c646-f1e9-532a-81e8-01fcd0ce39f6-8301578.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/1200x800_cmsv2_4888c646-f1e9-532a-81e8-01fcd0ce39f6-8301578.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/1920x1281_cmsv2_4888c646-f1e9-532a-81e8-01fcd0ce39f6-8301578.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Goa is well known for its laid-back beaches and secluded coves<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Canva<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>World Heritage Sites: Discover Goa's rich history<\/h2><p>UNESCO has honoured some of the magnificent monuments in Old Goa with world heritage status.<\/p>\n<p>These impressive sites, recognised for their outstanding universal value, spotlight Goa's enduring cultural significance.<\/p>\n<p>Constructed in the late 16th century, the Basilica of Bom Jesus showcases exquisite Baroque architecture, with intricately carved wooden altars and frescoes depicting scenes from St. Francis Xavier's life.<\/p>\n<p>Adjacent to the basilica stand the Ruins of the Church of St. Augustine, another UNESCO World Heritage Site that echoes the region's colonial past.<\/p>\n<p>Built by Augustinian friars in the 16th century, the church was one of the largest in Goa until it fell into disrepair and was eventually abandoned in the 19th century.<\/p>\n<p>The Church of St. Francis of Assisi and Convent, situated in Old Goa, is another architectural gem that forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site ensemble.<\/p>\n<p>Built by Franciscan friars in the 17th century, the church features a striking fa\u00e7ade adorned with intricately carved statues and reliefs depicting scenes from St. Francis of Assisi's life.<\/p>\n<h2>Spice gardens offer a fragrant journey through Goa<\/h2><div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//30//15//78//808x539_cmsv2_4477527c-5ee8-5c1a-8e36-d4e57e9f52eb-8301578.jpg/" alt=\"Goa is famous for its exotic spice plantation farms\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/384x256_cmsv2_4477527c-5ee8-5c1a-8e36-d4e57e9f52eb-8301578.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/640x427_cmsv2_4477527c-5ee8-5c1a-8e36-d4e57e9f52eb-8301578.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/750x500_cmsv2_4477527c-5ee8-5c1a-8e36-d4e57e9f52eb-8301578.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/828x552_cmsv2_4477527c-5ee8-5c1a-8e36-d4e57e9f52eb-8301578.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/1080x720_cmsv2_4477527c-5ee8-5c1a-8e36-d4e57e9f52eb-8301578.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/1200x800_cmsv2_4477527c-5ee8-5c1a-8e36-d4e57e9f52eb-8301578.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/1920x1281_cmsv2_4477527c-5ee8-5c1a-8e36-d4e57e9f52eb-8301578.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Goa is famous for its exotic spice plantation farms<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Canva<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Goa is famous for its exotic spice plantation farms. <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//business//2024//03//11//india-and-efta-sign-100-billion-free-trade-deal/">India/strong>/a> is a world leader in the production and export of spices, and spice farms offer insight into agricultural heritage and spice cultivation practices.<\/p>\n<p>Tropical Spice Plantation provides a sensory journey through its sprawling grounds. Spanning over 100 acres, this plantation is home to diverse spices, herbs, and tropical fruits cultivated using organic and sustainable farming methods.<\/p>\n<p>Guided tours are led by knowledgeable hosts who provide insights into cultivating, harvesting, and processing spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, pepper, and nutmeg.<\/p>\n<p>The Sahakari Spice Farm, located in the picturesque village of Curti in Ponda, is another renowned spice destination in Goa. Spread across acres of fertile land, this family-owned farm has cultivated spices for generations, preserving age-old traditions and techniques passed down through the ages.<\/p>\n<p>Guided tours of the farm offer visitors a holistic experience, encompassing spice plantations, herbal gardens, and traditional Goan architecture.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1710248029,"updatedAt":1710831637,"publishedAt":1710831610,"firstPublishedAt":1710251852,"lastPublishedAt":1710831637,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Canva ","altText":"Goa is looking to attract more \u2018high-quality tourists\u2019 with a new airport and luxury hotels.","callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"caption":"Goa is looking to attract more \u2018high-quality tourists\u2019 with a new airport and luxury hotels.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_ed840f49-9c48-587e-9e73-94a166dfbb28-8301578.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1080},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Canva","altText":"Houseboat experiences in Goa offer a unique opportunity to explore the region's picturesque backwaters ","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Houseboat experiences in Goa offer a unique opportunity to explore the region's picturesque backwaters ","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_c0742e25-f967-5f00-8e54-c337f4a55cb2-8301578.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Canva","altText":"Goa is famous for its exotic spice plantation farms","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Goa is famous for its exotic spice plantation farms","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_4477527c-5ee8-5c1a-8e36-d4e57e9f52eb-8301578.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Canva ","altText":"Goa is well known for its laid-back beaches and secluded coves","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Goa is well known for its laid-back beaches and secluded coves","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_4888c646-f1e9-532a-81e8-01fcd0ce39f6-8301578.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Goa Tourism","altText":"Explore Goa's ancient temples, each a testament to the region's rich cultural tapestry, to learn more about its spiritual legacy","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Explore Goa's ancient temples, each a testament to the region's rich cultural tapestry, to learn more about its spiritual legacy","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_48967188-ca30-5cf4-b512-5655708539e8-8301578.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Goa Tourism","altText":"Goa is looking to attract more \u2018high-quality tourists\u2019 with a new airport and luxury hotels.","callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"caption":"Goa is looking to attract more \u2018high-quality tourists\u2019 with a new airport and luxury hotels.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/30\/15\/78\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_f174edc4-9ccd-559e-823c-db9ee411c935-8301578.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1080}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"portia","twitter":"@pip_says","title":"Portia Jones"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"india","titleRaw":"India","id":148,"title":"India","slug":"india"},{"urlSafeValue":"tourism","titleRaw":"Tourism","id":4221,"title":"Tourism","slug":"tourism"},{"urlSafeValue":"sustainable-tourism","titleRaw":"Sustainable tourism","id":13868,"title":"Sustainable tourism","slug":"sustainable-tourism"},{"urlSafeValue":"culture","titleRaw":"Culture","id":574,"title":"Culture","slug":"culture"},{"urlSafeValue":"local-travel-guides","titleRaw":"Local travel guides","id":24788,"title":"Local travel guides","slug":"local-travel-guides"},{"urlSafeValue":"travel","titleRaw":"Travel","id":12639,"title":"Travel","slug":"travel"}],"widgets":[{"count":4,"slug":"image"}],"related":[{"id":2495530},{"id":2495802},{"id":2494960}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":null,"additionalReporting":null,"freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"destinations","urlSafeValue":"destinations","title":"Destinations","online":0,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/travel\/destinations\/destinations"},"vertical":"travel","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"travel","id":7,"title":"Travel","slug":"travel"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":7,"slug":"travel","urlSafeValue":"travel","title":"Travel"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"destinations","id":"destinations","title":"Destinations","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/travel\/destinations"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":28,"urlSafeValue":"destinations","title":"Destinations"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":12,"urlSafeValue":"asia","title":"Asia"},"country":{"id":148,"urlSafeValue":"india","title":"India","url":"\/news\/asia\/india"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe','gb_safe_from_high','gb_safe_from_high_med','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','pos_ukrainecrisis','gs_travel','gt_positive','gs_travel_holidays','gs_fooddrink','gs_travel_type','gs_society','gs_society_religion','neg_bucherer','gs_hobby_artscrafts','gs_fooddrink_cooking','client_easports_sporting_gaming','progressivemedia','gt_positive_curiosity','gt_positive_love'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"Travel_From houseboats to spice gardens, there\u2019s far more to Goa than its beautiful beaches","path":"\/travel\/2024\/03\/19\/from-houseboats-to-spice-gardens-theres-far-more-to-goa-than-its-beautiful-beaches","lastModified":1710831637},{"id":2488142,"cid":8270256,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"240304_S4WB_54912208","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":1,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":3},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Watch: The eco-innovator weaving natural waste into fabric in India","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":null,"titleListing2":"Watch: The eco-innovator weaving natural waste into fabric in India","leadin":"Meet the eco-fashionista from India who is transforming lotus stems into sustainable garments.","summary":"Meet the eco-fashionista from India who is transforming lotus stems into sustainable garments.","keySentence":"","url":"watch-the-eco-innovator-weaving-natural-waste-into-fabric-in-india","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/culture\/2024\/03\/04\/watch-the-eco-innovator-weaving-natural-waste-into-fabric-in-india","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"In India's northeastern state of Manipur, thirty-year-old Bijiyashanti Tongbram transforms lotus flower stems into beautiful fabrics through her creative business, Sanajing Sanathambal Ltd. \n\n\"It's a new business idea in India. Our products are 100% organic,\" explains Bijiyashanti. \n\nDuring the winter of 2017, Bijiyashanti made an intriguing observation. \"I realised that only the lotus flower was being used. While the rest of the plant was being wasted,\" she explains. \n\nBijiyashanti was determined to utilise the neglected parts of the lotus plant, and her vision for lotus fibre clothing started to take shape. \n\nThe production workflow requires precision and skill because extracting the fibre from the lotus plant by hand is an intricate process that involves hours of painstaking patience. \n\n\"We pluck and collect the stems and store them in stocks. Then, we slowly extract fibre from the stem using a knife along with the help of a wooden board. Then we roll it, and it becomes a thread,\" Bijiyashanti explains. \n\nFishing is the main occupation in Manipur's Loktak Lake area. Now, with a team of 30 dedicated workers, Bijiyashanti's business gives women an alternative income, and they can make between 8,000 and 12,000 rupees monthly. \n\n\"I'm doing this to earn money for myself and to support my children and grandchildren,\" says Heisnam. \"We invest a lot of time in it,\" Bijiyashanti continues. \n\nLotus fibre clothing is ideal for people who care about sustainability. \"My customers are aware of the value of our product and its organic nature. There's no use of the machine. It's all 100% handmade,\" says Bijiyashanti. \n\nBijiyashanti has grown her innovative eco-business and expanded her product range to include scarves, shawls, and waistcoats. But she dreams of a future with more possibilities. Alongside the lotus fibre production line, Bijiyashanti wants to build a garden and promote agro-tourism to showcase the beauty of plants native to her region. \n\n","htmlText":"<h2>In India's northeastern state of Manipur, thirty-year-old Bijiyashanti Tongbram transforms lotus flower stems into beautiful fabrics through her creative business, Sanajing Sanathambal Ltd.<\/h2><p>\"It's a new business idea in India. Our products are 100% organic,\" explains Bijiyashanti.<\/p>\n<p>During the winter of 2017, Bijiyashanti made an intriguing observation. \"I realised that only the lotus flower was being used. While the rest of the plant was being wasted,\" she explains.<\/p>\n<p>Bijiyashanti was determined to utilise the neglected parts of the lotus plant, and her vision for lotus fibre clothing started to take shape.<\/p>\n<p>The production workflow requires precision and skill because extracting the fibre from the lotus plant by hand is an intricate process that involves hours of painstaking patience.<\/p>\n<p>\"We pluck and collect the stems and store them in stocks. Then, we slowly extract fibre from the stem using a knife along with the help of a wooden board. Then we roll it, and it becomes a thread,\" Bijiyashanti explains.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5633136094674556\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//27//02//56//808x454_cmsv2_763b51a2-a283-520a-a2ae-6a8511a97a8c-8270256.jpg/" alt=\"Through Bijiyashanti's innovation, the strands of the lotus stems are cut out and then rolled into a thread.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/27\/02\/56\/384x216_cmsv2_763b51a2-a283-520a-a2ae-6a8511a97a8c-8270256.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/27\/02\/56\/640x361_cmsv2_763b51a2-a283-520a-a2ae-6a8511a97a8c-8270256.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/27\/02\/56\/750x422_cmsv2_763b51a2-a283-520a-a2ae-6a8511a97a8c-8270256.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/27\/02\/56\/828x466_cmsv2_763b51a2-a283-520a-a2ae-6a8511a97a8c-8270256.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/27\/02\/56\/1080x608_cmsv2_763b51a2-a283-520a-a2ae-6a8511a97a8c-8270256.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/27\/02\/56\/1200x676_cmsv2_763b51a2-a283-520a-a2ae-6a8511a97a8c-8270256.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/27\/02\/56\/1920x1082_cmsv2_763b51a2-a283-520a-a2ae-6a8511a97a8c-8270256.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Through Bijiyashanti's innovation, the strands of the lotus stems are cut out and then rolled into a thread.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Sohait Bhat<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Fishing is the main occupation in Manipur's Loktak Lake area. Now, with a team of 30 dedicated workers, Bijiyashanti's business gives women an alternative income, and they can make between 8,000 and 12,000 rupees monthly.<\/p>\n<p>\"I'm doing this to earn money for myself and to support my children and grandchildren,\" says Heisnam. \"We invest a lot of time in it,\" Bijiyashanti continues.<\/p>\n<p>Lotus fibre clothing is ideal for people who care about sustainability. \"My customers are aware of the value of our product and its organic nature. There's no use of the machine. It's all 100% handmade,\" says Bijiyashanti.<\/p>\n<p>Bijiyashanti has grown her innovative eco-business and expanded her product range to include scarves, shawls, and waistcoats. But she dreams of a future with more possibilities. Alongside the lotus fibre production line, Bijiyashanti wants to build a garden and promote agro-tourism to showcase the beauty of plants native to her region.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1709038563,"updatedAt":1709570347,"publishedAt":1709569821,"firstPublishedAt":1709189025,"lastPublishedAt":1709569857,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":null,"altText":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1690,"caption":null,"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/27\/02\/56\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_c227f398-19b1-5b38-883c-fdfdfe37a237-8270256.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":952},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Sohait Bhat","altText":"dd","callToActionText":null,"width":1690,"caption":"dd","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/27\/02\/56\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_763b51a2-a283-520a-a2ae-6a8511a97a8c-8270256.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":952},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Kashif Khan","altText":"dd","callToActionText":null,"width":1716,"caption":"dd","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/27\/02\/56\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_ad3616e5-717e-5b35-8dbe-c132403a970b-8270256.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":952},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Kashif Khan","altText":"dd","callToActionText":null,"width":1691,"caption":"dd","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/27\/02\/56\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_3ca9b589-c145-5ec5-8dcf-1b6bd61c045e-8270256.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":950},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Kashif Khan","altText":"dd","callToActionText":null,"width":1691,"caption":"dd","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/27\/02\/56\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_e3cbc030-a378-5fe7-9949-308b044eb5c1-8270256.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":952},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":null,"altText":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1690,"caption":null,"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/27\/02\/56\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_268e8b4d-ab51-55f6-83f4-28870e3814c4-8270256.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":951}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"elashi","twitter":null,"title":"Mohamed Elashi"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"flowers","titleRaw":"flowers","id":13858,"title":"flowers","slug":"flowers"},{"urlSafeValue":"clothes","titleRaw":"clothes","id":20934,"title":"clothes","slug":"clothes"},{"urlSafeValue":"sustainable-innovation","titleRaw":"Sustainable innovation","id":20532,"title":"Sustainable innovation","slug":"sustainable-innovation"},{"urlSafeValue":"sustainable-design","titleRaw":"Sustainable design","id":20520,"title":"Sustainable design","slug":"sustainable-design"},{"urlSafeValue":"sustainability","titleRaw":"Sustainability","id":19072,"title":"Sustainability","slug":"sustainability"},{"urlSafeValue":"the-role-of-women","titleRaw":"The role of women","id":12069,"title":"The role of women","slug":"the-role-of-women"}],"widgets":[{"count":1,"slug":"image"}],"related":[{"id":2499640},{"id":2504214}],"technicalTags":[{"path":"editorial.media-city"},{"path":"editorial"},{"path":"editorial.qatar-scenes"},{"path":"editorial"}],"externalPartners":{"dailymotionId":"x8tud34","youtubeId":"J03v5r7RCUs"},"video":1,"videos":[{"duration":360440,"editor":"","filesizeBytes":45110053,"format":"mp4","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/S4\/WB\/24\/03\/04\/en\/240304_S4WB_54912208_54964475_360440_162108_en.mp4","expiresAt":0,"quality":"md"},{"duration":360440,"editor":"","filesizeBytes":68804901,"format":"mp4","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/EN\/S4\/WB\/24\/03\/04\/en\/240304_S4WB_54912208_54964475_360440_162108_en.mp4","expiresAt":0,"quality":"hd"}],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"Mohamed Elashi","additionalReporting":"Kashif Khan","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"scenes","urlSafeValue":"scenes","title":"Scenes","online":1,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/culture\/culture-series\/scenes"},"vertical":"culture","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"culture","id":10,"title":"Culture","slug":"culture"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":10,"slug":"culture","urlSafeValue":"culture","title":"Culture"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"culture-series","id":"culture-series","title":"Culture Series","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/culture\/culture-series"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":55,"urlSafeValue":"culture-series","title":"Culture series"},"advertising":1,"advertisingData":{"startDate":1630511520,"endDate":2114355123,"type":"sponsored","slug":"Scenes","title":"Media City - Qatar","disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":"Media City","sponsorName":"Scenes","sponsorUrl":"https:\/\/mediacity.qa\/","sponsorLogo":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/campaigns\/410\/300x114_cmsv2_34d67838-9191-52a0-9a53-1c81081387b0-410.jpg","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":12,"urlSafeValue":"asia","title":"Asia"},"country":{"id":148,"urlSafeValue":"india","title":"India","url":"\/news\/asia\/india"},"town":{"id":3967,"urlSafeValue":"jamshedpur","title":"Jamshedpur"},"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','neg_bucherer','gt_positive','gb_safe','gb_safe_from_high','gb_safe_from_high_med','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','pos_ukrainecrisis','gs_fashion','gs_busfin','gs_home_gardening','gs_home','manufacturing','gt_positive_curiosity'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet-web","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"S4-10-Lotus to Cloth - India Scenes S4E10 - MASTER WEB","path":"\/culture\/2024\/03\/04\/watch-the-eco-innovator-weaving-natural-waste-into-fabric-in-india","lastModified":1709569857},{"id":2492278,"cid":8283322,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"240304_C2SU_54961632","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":3},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"The son of Asia\u2019s richest man is getting married - his father paid Rihanna to perform at his party","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"A-listers flock to India for prenuptials thrown by Asia\u2019s richest man","titleListing2":"The son of Asia\u2019s richest man is getting married. His father paid Rihanna to perform at his prenup","leadin":"Rihanna, Mark Zuckerberg, Ivanka Trump and Shah Rukh Khan were among the 1,200 VIP guests at Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani\u2019s son\u2019s prenuptials over the weekend.","summary":"Rihanna, Mark Zuckerberg, Ivanka Trump and Shah Rukh Khan were among the 1,200 VIP guests at Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani\u2019s son\u2019s prenuptials over the weekend.","keySentence":"","url":"the-son-of-asias-richest-man-is-getting-married-his-father-paid-rihanna-to-perform-at-his-","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/culture\/2024\/03\/04\/the-son-of-asias-richest-man-is-getting-married-his-father-paid-rihanna-to-perform-at-his-","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"How do you celebrate your youngest son\u2019s wedding when you\u2019ve got more money than you know what to do with? \n\nFor Mukesh Ambani, Asia\u2019s richest man, the answer is throw a massive three-day prenuptial party, invite the world\u2019s rich and famous and even hire superstar Rihanna to perform. \n\nAmbani, a billionaire who runs the industrial conglomerate Reliance Industries, invited tycoons from around the world, along with heads of state and entertainment behemoths to the small western Indian city of Jamnagar for the three-day celebration. \n\nThe nearly 1,200-person guest lists included tech magnates like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Bollywood celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, and business\/political families like Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. \n\nThe youngest son of Ambani, 28-year-old Anant, will wed his longtime girlfriend Radhika Merchant, 29, in July. Radhika is the daughter of Viren Merchant, the CEO of Encore Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., and entrepreneur Shaila Merchant. \n\nHere\u2019s a breakdown of the weekend\u2019s festivities and who attended the party. \n\nWho was at Anant Ambani\u2019s prenuptial bash? \n\nThe star-studded affair saw some of the world\u2019s richest people descend upon Jamnagar in a flurry of private jets. \n\nFormer US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka attended with husband Jared Kushner and their daughter. \n\nMeta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was there with his wife Priscilla Chan. \n\nMicrosoft founder Bill Gates attended with new girlfriend Paula Hurd,\u00a0the widow of Oracle CEO Mark Hurd. \n\nBollywood stars like Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Amir Khan, Salman Khan and\u00a0Shah Rukh Khan were also in attendance, with the Khans performing onstage for the guests. \n\nRihanna is rumoured to have been paid $6-9 million to perform at the party, and was seen in numerous videos on social media performing onstage and later dancing as a guest. \n\nWho is Mukesh Ambani? \n\nMukesh Ambani, 66, is currently the world\u2019s 10th richest man with a net worth of $115 billion (\u20ac106 billion), according to Forbes. He is also the richest person in Asia. \n\nHis Reliance Industries is a massive conglomerate, reporting over $100 billion (\u20ac92 billion) in annual revenue, with interests ranging from petrochemicals, and oil and gas to telecoms and retail. \n\nThe Ambani family owns, among other assets, a 27-story private apartment building, named Antila, worth $1 billion (\u20ac921 million) in Mumbai. It has three helipads, a 160-car garage, a private movie theater, a swimming pool, and a fitness center. \n\nAmbani\u2019s critics say his company has flourished mainly because of political connections during the Congress governments in the 1970s and 80s and subsequently under Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s rule after 2014. They say \u201ccrony capitalism\u201d in India has helped certain corporations, such as Ambani's, thrive. \n\nIt\u2019s not the first time the Ambani family has pulled out all the stops and flaunted their economic and political connections at a lavish party. When Ambani's daughter was married in 2018, Ambani hired Beyonc\u00e9 to perform at her pre-wedding festivities. \n\nAt the time, former US Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry were among those who rubbed shoulders with Indian celebrities and Bollywood stars in the western Indian city of Udaipur. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>How do you celebrate your youngest son\u2019s wedding when you\u2019ve got more money than you know what to do with?<\/p>\n<p>For Mukesh Ambani, Asia\u2019s richest man, the answer is throw a massive three-day prenuptial party, invite the world\u2019s rich and famous and even hire superstar Rihanna to perform.<\/p>\n<p>Ambani, a billionaire who runs the industrial conglomerate Reliance Industries, invited tycoons from around the world, along with heads of state and entertainment behemoths to the small western Indian city of Jamnagar for the three-day celebration.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"8031262,7991880\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//travel//2023//11//14//dream-of-a-bollywood-style-wedding-party-heres-how-you-can-say-i-do-in-india/">Dream of a Bollywood-style wedding party? Here\u2019s how you can say \u2018I do\u2019 in India<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//culture//2023//11//05//diwali-inspiration-how-indias-festival-of-lights-can-brighten-european-luxury-brand-fortun/">Diwali inspiration: How India's festival of lights can brighten European luxury brand fortunes<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The nearly 1,200-person guest lists included tech magnates like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Bollywood celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, and business\/political families like Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.<\/p>\n<p>The youngest son of Ambani, 28-year-old Anant, will wed his longtime girlfriend Radhika Merchant, 29, in July. Radhika is the daughter of Viren Merchant, the CEO of Encore Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., and entrepreneur Shaila Merchant.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.66640625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//28//33//22//808x539_cmsv2_529cabeb-51af-56cb-a4eb-6aa932083fd1-8283322.jpg/" alt=\"Billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani, son Anant and wife Nita, posing for a photograph as guests gather to celebrate Anant's wedding in Jamnagar, India.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/384x256_cmsv2_529cabeb-51af-56cb-a4eb-6aa932083fd1-8283322.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/640x427_cmsv2_529cabeb-51af-56cb-a4eb-6aa932083fd1-8283322.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/750x500_cmsv2_529cabeb-51af-56cb-a4eb-6aa932083fd1-8283322.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/828x552_cmsv2_529cabeb-51af-56cb-a4eb-6aa932083fd1-8283322.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1080x720_cmsv2_529cabeb-51af-56cb-a4eb-6aa932083fd1-8283322.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1200x800_cmsv2_529cabeb-51af-56cb-a4eb-6aa932083fd1-8283322.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1920x1280_cmsv2_529cabeb-51af-56cb-a4eb-6aa932083fd1-8283322.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani, son Anant and wife Nita, posing for a photograph as guests gather to celebrate Anant's wedding in Jamnagar, India.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Reliance group via AP Photo<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a breakdown of the weekend\u2019s festivities and who attended the party.<\/p>\n<h2>Who was at Anant Ambani\u2019s prenuptial bash?<\/h2><p>The star-studded affair saw some of the world\u2019s richest people descend upon Jamnagar in a flurry of private jets.<\/p>\n<p>Former US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka attended with husband Jared Kushner and their daughter.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.66640625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//28//33//22//808x539_cmsv2_91f81dd2-0a3d-5101-ba98-1208d5bdb8e9-8283322.jpg/" alt=\"Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner with their daughter Arabella and Mukesh Ambani.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/384x256_cmsv2_91f81dd2-0a3d-5101-ba98-1208d5bdb8e9-8283322.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/640x427_cmsv2_91f81dd2-0a3d-5101-ba98-1208d5bdb8e9-8283322.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/750x500_cmsv2_91f81dd2-0a3d-5101-ba98-1208d5bdb8e9-8283322.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/828x552_cmsv2_91f81dd2-0a3d-5101-ba98-1208d5bdb8e9-8283322.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1080x720_cmsv2_91f81dd2-0a3d-5101-ba98-1208d5bdb8e9-8283322.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1200x800_cmsv2_91f81dd2-0a3d-5101-ba98-1208d5bdb8e9-8283322.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1920x1280_cmsv2_91f81dd2-0a3d-5101-ba98-1208d5bdb8e9-8283322.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner with their daughter Arabella and Mukesh Ambani.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP\/AP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.66640625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//28//33//22//808x539_cmsv2_413cf03d-1c67-556a-87f6-664a8257bdfc-8283322.jpg/" alt=\"Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/384x256_cmsv2_413cf03d-1c67-556a-87f6-664a8257bdfc-8283322.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/640x427_cmsv2_413cf03d-1c67-556a-87f6-664a8257bdfc-8283322.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/750x500_cmsv2_413cf03d-1c67-556a-87f6-664a8257bdfc-8283322.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/828x552_cmsv2_413cf03d-1c67-556a-87f6-664a8257bdfc-8283322.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1080x720_cmsv2_413cf03d-1c67-556a-87f6-664a8257bdfc-8283322.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1200x800_cmsv2_413cf03d-1c67-556a-87f6-664a8257bdfc-8283322.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1920x1280_cmsv2_413cf03d-1c67-556a-87f6-664a8257bdfc-8283322.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Reliance group via AP Photo<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was there with his wife Priscilla Chan.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"1.2509773260359656\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//28//33//22//808x1010_cmsv2_59f2254c-6741-5f99-80c1-2d5815c7e4e4-8283322.jpg/" alt=\"Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan at the pre-wedding bash in Jamnagar, India.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/384x480_cmsv2_59f2254c-6741-5f99-80c1-2d5815c7e4e4-8283322.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/640x801_cmsv2_59f2254c-6741-5f99-80c1-2d5815c7e4e4-8283322.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/750x938_cmsv2_59f2254c-6741-5f99-80c1-2d5815c7e4e4-8283322.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/828x1036_cmsv2_59f2254c-6741-5f99-80c1-2d5815c7e4e4-8283322.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1080x1351_cmsv2_59f2254c-6741-5f99-80c1-2d5815c7e4e4-8283322.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1200x1501_cmsv2_59f2254c-6741-5f99-80c1-2d5815c7e4e4-8283322.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1920x2402_cmsv2_59f2254c-6741-5f99-80c1-2d5815c7e4e4-8283322.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan at the pre-wedding bash in Jamnagar, India.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Reliance group via AP Photo<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"1.2512218963831867\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//28//33//22//808x1010_cmsv2_00461961-dd37-5551-a338-9c86fba06393-8283322.jpg/" alt=\"Mark Zuckerberg with billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani's son Anant Ambani, right, and Radhika Merchant at their pre-wedding bash.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/384x480_cmsv2_00461961-dd37-5551-a338-9c86fba06393-8283322.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/640x801_cmsv2_00461961-dd37-5551-a338-9c86fba06393-8283322.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/750x938_cmsv2_00461961-dd37-5551-a338-9c86fba06393-8283322.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/828x1036_cmsv2_00461961-dd37-5551-a338-9c86fba06393-8283322.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1080x1351_cmsv2_00461961-dd37-5551-a338-9c86fba06393-8283322.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1200x1501_cmsv2_00461961-dd37-5551-a338-9c86fba06393-8283322.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1920x2402_cmsv2_00461961-dd37-5551-a338-9c86fba06393-8283322.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Mark Zuckerberg with billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani's son Anant Ambani, right, and Radhika Merchant at their pre-wedding bash.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Reliance group via AP Photo<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Microsoft founder Bill Gates attended with new girlfriend Paula Hurd,\u00a0the widow of Oracle CEO Mark Hurd.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"1.25\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//28//33//22//808x1010_cmsv2_923366a1-37e5-5a6c-a3f1-45106afcdc80-8283322.jpg/" alt=\"Bill Gates and Paula Hurd.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/384x480_cmsv2_923366a1-37e5-5a6c-a3f1-45106afcdc80-8283322.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/640x800_cmsv2_923366a1-37e5-5a6c-a3f1-45106afcdc80-8283322.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/750x938_cmsv2_923366a1-37e5-5a6c-a3f1-45106afcdc80-8283322.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/828x1035_cmsv2_923366a1-37e5-5a6c-a3f1-45106afcdc80-8283322.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1080x1350_cmsv2_923366a1-37e5-5a6c-a3f1-45106afcdc80-8283322.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1200x1500_cmsv2_923366a1-37e5-5a6c-a3f1-45106afcdc80-8283322.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1920x2400_cmsv2_923366a1-37e5-5a6c-a3f1-45106afcdc80-8283322.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Bill Gates and Paula Hurd.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Reliance group via AP Photo<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"1.2502923976608187\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//28//33//22//808x1010_cmsv2_65b935d9-6301-5511-9bc4-878ca12b9643-8283322.jpg/" alt=\"Mark Zuckerberg speaking to Bill Gates and Paula Hurd at the pre-wedding celebrations.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/384x480_cmsv2_65b935d9-6301-5511-9bc4-878ca12b9643-8283322.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/640x800_cmsv2_65b935d9-6301-5511-9bc4-878ca12b9643-8283322.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/750x938_cmsv2_65b935d9-6301-5511-9bc4-878ca12b9643-8283322.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/828x1035_cmsv2_65b935d9-6301-5511-9bc4-878ca12b9643-8283322.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1080x1350_cmsv2_65b935d9-6301-5511-9bc4-878ca12b9643-8283322.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1200x1500_cmsv2_65b935d9-6301-5511-9bc4-878ca12b9643-8283322.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1920x2401_cmsv2_65b935d9-6301-5511-9bc4-878ca12b9643-8283322.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Mark Zuckerberg speaking to Bill Gates and Paula Hurd at the pre-wedding celebrations.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Reliance group via AP Photo<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Bollywood stars like Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Amir Khan, Salman Khan and\u00a0Shah Rukh Khan were also in attendance, with the Khans performing onstage for the guests.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6617154811715481\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//28//33//22//808x535_cmsv2_c41ce459-698a-559b-9c90-a2ff61e377fe-8283322.jpg/" alt=\"Bollywood stars Ranveer Singh, left and Deepika Padukone arrive at airport to attend the pre-wedding celebrations.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/384x254_cmsv2_c41ce459-698a-559b-9c90-a2ff61e377fe-8283322.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/640x423_cmsv2_c41ce459-698a-559b-9c90-a2ff61e377fe-8283322.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/750x496_cmsv2_c41ce459-698a-559b-9c90-a2ff61e377fe-8283322.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/828x548_cmsv2_c41ce459-698a-559b-9c90-a2ff61e377fe-8283322.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1080x715_cmsv2_c41ce459-698a-559b-9c90-a2ff61e377fe-8283322.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1200x794_cmsv2_c41ce459-698a-559b-9c90-a2ff61e377fe-8283322.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1920x1270_cmsv2_c41ce459-698a-559b-9c90-a2ff61e377fe-8283322.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Bollywood stars Ranveer Singh, left and Deepika Padukone arrive at airport to attend the pre-wedding celebrations.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Ajit Solanki\/AP Photo<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"1.25\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//28//33//22//808x1010_cmsv2_9aabcbaf-0581-59e6-b721-6e0da4f7209c-8283322.jpg/" alt=\"Bollywood stars Amir Khan, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan performing at a pre-wedding bash of billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani's son Anant Ambani in Jamnagar, India.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/384x480_cmsv2_9aabcbaf-0581-59e6-b721-6e0da4f7209c-8283322.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/640x800_cmsv2_9aabcbaf-0581-59e6-b721-6e0da4f7209c-8283322.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/750x938_cmsv2_9aabcbaf-0581-59e6-b721-6e0da4f7209c-8283322.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/828x1035_cmsv2_9aabcbaf-0581-59e6-b721-6e0da4f7209c-8283322.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1080x1350_cmsv2_9aabcbaf-0581-59e6-b721-6e0da4f7209c-8283322.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1200x1500_cmsv2_9aabcbaf-0581-59e6-b721-6e0da4f7209c-8283322.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1920x2400_cmsv2_9aabcbaf-0581-59e6-b721-6e0da4f7209c-8283322.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Bollywood stars Amir Khan, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan performing at a pre-wedding bash of billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani's son Anant Ambani in Jamnagar, India.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Reliance group via AP Photo<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"1.25\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//28//33//22//808x1010_cmsv2_16817153-0fbb-5671-a329-fae1ed38b0f1-8283322.jpg/" alt=\"Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan performing.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/384x480_cmsv2_16817153-0fbb-5671-a329-fae1ed38b0f1-8283322.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/640x800_cmsv2_16817153-0fbb-5671-a329-fae1ed38b0f1-8283322.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/750x938_cmsv2_16817153-0fbb-5671-a329-fae1ed38b0f1-8283322.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/828x1035_cmsv2_16817153-0fbb-5671-a329-fae1ed38b0f1-8283322.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1080x1350_cmsv2_16817153-0fbb-5671-a329-fae1ed38b0f1-8283322.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1200x1500_cmsv2_16817153-0fbb-5671-a329-fae1ed38b0f1-8283322.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1920x2400_cmsv2_16817153-0fbb-5671-a329-fae1ed38b0f1-8283322.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan performing.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Reliance group via AP Photo<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Rihanna is rumoured to have been paid $6-9 million to perform at the party, and was seen in numerous videos on social media performing onstage and later dancing as a guest.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1764409917862248470\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1763824107014029594\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>Who is Mukesh Ambani?<\/h2><p>Mukesh Ambani, 66, is currently the world\u2019s 10th richest man with a net worth of $115 billion (\u20ac106 billion), according to Forbes. He is also the richest person in Asia.<\/p>\n<p>His Reliance Industries is a massive conglomerate, reporting over $100 billion (\u20ac92 billion) in annual revenue, with interests ranging from petrochemicals, and oil and gas to telecoms and retail.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.662109375\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//28//33//22//808x535_cmsv2_98f3332a-da69-55b5-a7e9-1c51b62aefdc-8283322.jpg/" alt=\"Mukesh Ambani addressing the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, a business event to attract investments to the Gujarat state, in Gandhinagar, India on 10 January.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/384x254_cmsv2_98f3332a-da69-55b5-a7e9-1c51b62aefdc-8283322.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/640x424_cmsv2_98f3332a-da69-55b5-a7e9-1c51b62aefdc-8283322.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/750x497_cmsv2_98f3332a-da69-55b5-a7e9-1c51b62aefdc-8283322.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/828x548_cmsv2_98f3332a-da69-55b5-a7e9-1c51b62aefdc-8283322.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1080x715_cmsv2_98f3332a-da69-55b5-a7e9-1c51b62aefdc-8283322.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1200x795_cmsv2_98f3332a-da69-55b5-a7e9-1c51b62aefdc-8283322.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/1920x1271_cmsv2_98f3332a-da69-55b5-a7e9-1c51b62aefdc-8283322.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Mukesh Ambani addressing the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, a business event to attract investments to the Gujarat state, in Gandhinagar, India on 10 January.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Ajit Solanki\/AP Photo<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The Ambani family owns, among other assets, a 27-story private apartment building, named Antila, worth $1 billion (\u20ac921 million) in Mumbai. It has three helipads, a 160-car garage, a private movie theater, a swimming pool, and a fitness center.<\/p>\n<p>Ambani\u2019s critics say his company has flourished mainly because of political connections during the Congress governments in the 1970s and 80s and subsequently under Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s rule after 2014. They say \u201ccrony capitalism\u201d in India has helped certain corporations, such as Ambani's, thrive.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not the first time the Ambani family has pulled out all the stops and flaunted their economic and political connections at a lavish party. When Ambani's daughter was married in 2018, Ambani hired Beyonc\u00e9 to perform at her pre-wedding festivities.<\/p>\n<p>At the time, former US Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry were among those who rubbed shoulders with Indian celebrities and Bollywood stars in the western Indian city of Udaipur.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1709550203,"updatedAt":1709558318,"publishedAt":1709555425,"firstPublishedAt":1709554839,"lastPublishedAt":1709555472,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Reliance group via AP Photo","altText":"Billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani, Anant Ambani, Paula Hurd, and Bill Gates posing for a photograph at a pre-wedding bash of Mukesh Ambani's son Anant in Jamnagar, India","callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"caption":"Billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani, Anant Ambani, Paula Hurd, and Bill Gates posing for a photograph at a pre-wedding bash of Mukesh Ambani's son Anant in Jamnagar, India","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_b4ae1ebe-ae2f-5d34-aaf0-56be06af71f2-8283322.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1080},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Ajit Solanki\/AP Photo","altText":"Mukesh Ambani addressing the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, a business event to attract investments to the Gujarat state, in Gandhinagar, India on 10 January.","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Mukesh Ambani addressing the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, a business event to attract investments to the Gujarat state, in Gandhinagar, India on 10 January.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_98f3332a-da69-55b5-a7e9-1c51b62aefdc-8283322.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":678},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Reliance group via AP Photo","altText":"Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan performing.","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan performing.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_16817153-0fbb-5671-a329-fae1ed38b0f1-8283322.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1280},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Reliance group via AP Photo","altText":"Mark Zuckerberg speaking to Bill Gates and Paula Hurd at the pre-wedding celebrations.","callToActionText":null,"width":855,"caption":"Mark Zuckerberg speaking to Bill Gates and Paula Hurd at the pre-wedding celebrations.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_65b935d9-6301-5511-9bc4-878ca12b9643-8283322.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1069},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Reliance group via AP Photo","altText":"Bill Gates and Paula Hurd.","callToActionText":null,"width":1280,"caption":"Bill Gates and Paula Hurd.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_923366a1-37e5-5a6c-a3f1-45106afcdc80-8283322.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1600},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Reliance group via AP Photo","altText":"Mark Zuckerberg with billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani's son Anant Ambani, right, and Radhika Merchant at their pre-wedding bash.","callToActionText":null,"width":1023,"caption":"Mark Zuckerberg with billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani's son Anant Ambani, right, and Radhika Merchant at their pre-wedding bash.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_00461961-dd37-5551-a338-9c86fba06393-8283322.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1280},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Reliance group via AP Photo","altText":"Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.","callToActionText":null,"width":1280,"caption":"Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_413cf03d-1c67-556a-87f6-664a8257bdfc-8283322.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":853},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Reliance group via AP Photo","altText":"Billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani, son Anant and wife Nita, posing for a photograph as guests gather to celebrate Anant's wedding in Jamnagar, India.","callToActionText":null,"width":1280,"caption":"Billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani, son Anant and wife Nita, posing for a photograph as guests gather to celebrate Anant's wedding in Jamnagar, 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Ranveer Singh, left and Deepika Padukone arrive at airport to attend the pre-wedding celebrations.","callToActionText":null,"width":4780,"caption":"Bollywood stars Ranveer Singh, left and Deepika Padukone arrive at airport to attend the pre-wedding celebrations.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_c41ce459-698a-559b-9c90-a2ff61e377fe-8283322.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":3163},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP\/AP","altText":"Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan at the pre-wedding bash in Jamnagar, India.","callToActionText":null,"width":1279,"caption":"Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan at the pre-wedding bash in Jamnagar, India.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_59f2254c-6741-5f99-80c1-2d5815c7e4e4-8283322.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1600},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP\/AP","altText":"Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner with their daughter Arabella and Mukesh Ambani.","callToActionText":null,"width":1280,"caption":"Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner with their daughter Arabella and Mukesh Ambani.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/28\/33\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_91f81dd2-0a3d-5101-ba98-1208d5bdb8e9-8283322.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":853}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"ulea","twitter":"@ancaulea","title":"Anca 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- indian billionaire prenup party","path":"\/culture\/2024\/03\/04\/the-son-of-asias-richest-man-is-getting-married-his-father-paid-rihanna-to-perform-at-his-","lastModified":1709555472},{"id":2484476,"cid":8258932,"versionId":2,"archive":0,"housenumber":"240222_NWSU_54870861","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":3},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"India looks to rooftop solar to provide \u2018free electricity\u2019 for up to 10 million homes","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"India makes it easier to install rooftop solar panels on homes","titleListing2":"India looks to rooftop solar to provide \u2018free electricity\u2019 for up to 10 million homes","leadin":"India last year became the world's most populous nation, with 1.4 billion people and a hunger for energy that is rising fast.","summary":"India last year became the world's most populous nation, with 1.4 billion people and a hunger for energy that is rising fast.","keySentence":"","url":"india-looks-to-rooftop-solar-to-provide-free-electricity-for-up-to-10-million-homes","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/2024\/02\/22\/india-looks-to-rooftop-solar-to-provide-free-electricity-for-up-to-10-million-homes","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Just a few years ago, someone who wanted to install a rooftop solar connection in India faced getting multiple approvals, finding a reliable company to install the panels and heavy expenses before seeing the first surge of clean energy. \n\nBut that's changing. The government has streamlined the approvals process, made it easier for people to claim subsidies and pushed mountains of cash - including $9 billion (\u20ac8.3 billion) announced this month - to encourage faster adoption of technology that's seen as critical for India to reach its clean-energy goals. \n\n\u201cWe had to get 45 signatures to set up a small rooftop solar connection in 2021,\u201d said Shreya Mishra, CEO of Mumbai-based Solar Square, one of India\u2019s largest rooftop solar companies. \u201cToday it's almost instantaneous.\u201d \n\nRooftop solar can't come fast enough for India \n\nFor this sun-soaked country, growth in rooftop solar can't come soon enough. India last year became the world's most populous nation, with 1.4 billion people and a hunger for energy that is rising fast. \n\nYet India, one of the world's biggest emitters of planet-warming gases, is also highly vulnerable to climate change. Its people are affected by deadly floods, extreme rainfall, extreme heat, prolonged droughts and cyclones with increasing frequency. A study earlier this year found that nine out of India\u2019s 28 states will be among the world's hardest-hit regions due to climate change by midcentury. \n\nIndia has grown its clean power rapidly in recent years and has the fourth-most installed renewable power, trailing only China, the US and Brazil. It had 180 gigawatts as of December, enough to power about 18 million homes, with nearly half from solar. \n\nBut most of that solar power comes from numerous football-field-sized solar farms. Less than 15 per cent comes from rooftop arrays, and India has so far managed to set up only 11 gigawatts of rooftop solar. That's far less than the 40 gigawatts it hoped to have by 2022. \n\nEnergy experts say rooftop solar is essential to bring power to remote areas, where it can be installed cheaply where it's needed and avoid the cost of transmitting the energy over long distances. \n\nIndia's latest push was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said the $9 billion would provide \u201cfree electricity\u201d for up to 10 million homes. \n\nWhat is preventing more rooftop solar installations? \n\nNeeraj Kuldeep of the New Delhi-based think tank, Council on Energy, Environment and Water, has tracked rooftop solar for nearly a decade.\u00a0 \n\nA report from CEEW last year found that only 50 per cent of Indians are likely aware of rooftop solar as an energy solution and most of those who were aware thought it was too expensive. The report released last November recommended subsidies for consumers who can benefit from small rooftop solar arrays but can't afford them. \n\nKuldeep said consumer awareness about rooftop solar is one key to driving growth. Others are efficient governments at both the federal and state level, and finding the right \u201cfit\u201d for a particular user's power needs. \n\nExperts say another is getting buy-in from state-owned electricity companies who sometimes see rooftop solar as a threat to their profits. \n\nKuldeep said that's short-sighted. The companies can often actually make more money if they help install rooftop solar in a low-consumption home, he said. That's because they cut their transmission and distribution costs to carry power to a house with a subsidised bill that already earns them little profit. \n\nInstallations have also risen since the government launched a national rooftop solar portal in 2022 that consumers can use to claim and steer government subsidies directly to their bank account, say experts and rooftop solar companies. \n\nMysun, a rooftop solar company based in New Delhi , offers potential buyers a \u201csolar calculator\u201d on its website where they can enter their location and current electricity costs to see what kind of savings they can expect. CEO Gagan Vermani said it's about simplifying the process for potential customers. \n\n\u201cWe need to start thinking of (rooftop solar) with consumer needs in mind rather than thinking of it as building solar infrastructure,\u201d he said. \n\n'Expensive but it's totally worth it' \n\nThose who are already hooked up with panels on their roofs tout the benefits of cheaper electricity and greater agency over their own power. \n\n\n\u201cIt is a little expensive but it\u2019s totally worth it,\u201d said Ruchika Chahana, who lives in the affluent Greater Kailash neighbourhood in New Delhi. Chahana installed rooftop solar in her home nine months ago at a cost of nearly $5,000 (\u20ac4,607). She said her summer electricity bills have fallen to about $50 (\u20ac46)a month, from $200 (\u20ac184), and her family feels great about \u201cdoing something to save the planet.\" \n\nIn Bengaluru, Satish Mallya saw rooftop solar as essential both to save money and avert carbon emissions. He took the lead in installing 65 kilowatts of solar atop the 120-unit apartment complex he lives in, and the building's electricity costs have dropped $700 (\u20ac645) a month. \n\nThat 2020 installation was \u201cchallenging\u201d because of bureaucratic hurdles, said Mallya, who serves as vice president of a citywide group that represents apartment dwellers and owners. He's helped many others set up their own rooftop solar connections in the years since, and says the process has gotten easier. \n\nMishra, of Solar Square, said she's seeing a big increase in interest in a technology that she calls \u201ca key part of India's energy future.\u201d \n\n\u201cAs an Indian and an entrepreneur, I'm extremely proud of seeing this getting built up,\u201d she said. \"I think building energy infrastructure is the greatest nation-building thing we can do.\u201d \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Just a few years ago, someone who wanted to install a rooftop solar connection in India faced getting multiple approvals, finding a reliable company to install the panels and heavy expenses before seeing the first surge of clean energy.<\/p>\n<p>But that's changing. The government has streamlined the approvals process, made it easier for people to claim <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2024//01//21//heat-pumps-government-subsidies-in-europe-are-making-green-tech-more-affordable/">subsidies/strong>/a> and pushed mountains of cash - including $9 billion (\u20ac8.3 billion) announced this month - to encourage faster adoption of technology that's seen as critical for India to reach its clean-energy goals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had to get 45 signatures to set up a small rooftop solar connection in 2021,\u201d said Shreya Mishra, CEO of Mumbai-based Solar Square, one of India\u2019s largest rooftop solar companies. \u201cToday it's almost instantaneous.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Rooftop solar can't come fast enough for India<\/h2><p>For this sun-soaked country, growth in <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//02//05//its-not-fix-and-forget-why-understanding-how-people-live-with-solar-panels-is-vital/">rooftop solar<\/strong><\/a> can't come soon enough. India last year became the world's most populous nation, with 1.4 billion people and a hunger for energy that is rising fast.<\/p>\n<p>Yet India, one of the world's biggest emitters of planet-warming gases, is also highly vulnerable to climate change. Its people are affected by deadly floods, extreme rainfall, extreme heat, prolonged droughts and <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2024//01//16//tropical-cyclone-belal-human-caused-climate-change-is-increasing-storm-intensity-in-indian/">cyclones/strong>/a> with increasing frequency. A study earlier this year found that nine out of India\u2019s 28 states will be among the world's hardest-hit regions due to climate change by midcentury.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"8163018,8138960\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2024//01//10//indoor-solar-power-these-cells-can-harvest-energy-from-any-light-source-for-battery-free-d/">Indoor solar power: These cells can harvest energy from any light source for battery-free devices<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//12//29//europe-us-china-where-installed-the-most-wind-and-solar-power-in-2023/">Europe, US, China: Where installed the most wind and solar power in 2023?<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>India has grown its clean power rapidly in recent years and has the fourth-most installed renewable power, trailing only China, the US and Brazil. It had 180 gigawatts as of December, enough to power about 18 million homes, with nearly half from solar.<\/p>\n<p>But most of that <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//07//15//the-more-you-install-the-cheaper-it-gets-wind-and-solar-to-produce-33-of-global-power-by-2/">solar power<\/strong><\/a> comes from numerous football-field-sized solar farms. Less than 15 per cent comes from rooftop arrays, and India has so far managed to set up only 11 gigawatts of rooftop solar. That's far less than the 40 gigawatts it hoped to have by 2022.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-ease-in-up widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//25//89//32//808x454_cmsv2_f87ae20a-3d5b-5f1c-aafe-394783be7fed-8258932.jpg/" alt=\"India is renewing its push to add rooftop solar to meet the needs of a fast-growing nation that's hungry for energy.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/25\/89\/32\/384x216_cmsv2_f87ae20a-3d5b-5f1c-aafe-394783be7fed-8258932.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/25\/89\/32\/640x360_cmsv2_f87ae20a-3d5b-5f1c-aafe-394783be7fed-8258932.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/25\/89\/32\/750x422_cmsv2_f87ae20a-3d5b-5f1c-aafe-394783be7fed-8258932.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/25\/89\/32\/828x466_cmsv2_f87ae20a-3d5b-5f1c-aafe-394783be7fed-8258932.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/25\/89\/32\/1080x608_cmsv2_f87ae20a-3d5b-5f1c-aafe-394783be7fed-8258932.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/25\/89\/32\/1200x675_cmsv2_f87ae20a-3d5b-5f1c-aafe-394783be7fed-8258932.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/25\/89\/32\/1920x1080_cmsv2_f87ae20a-3d5b-5f1c-aafe-394783be7fed-8258932.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">India is renewing its push to add rooftop solar to meet the needs of a fast-growing nation that's hungry for energy.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Manish Swarup<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Energy experts say rooftop solar is essential to bring power to remote areas, where it can be installed cheaply where it's needed and avoid the cost of transmitting the energy over long distances.<\/p>\n<p>India's latest push was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said the $9 billion would provide \u201cfree electricity\u201d for up to 10 million homes.<\/p>\n<h2>What is preventing more rooftop solar installations?<\/h2><p>Neeraj Kuldeep of the New Delhi-based think tank, Council on Energy, Environment and Water, has tracked rooftop solar for nearly a decade.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A report from CEEW last year found that only 50 per cent of Indians are likely aware of rooftop solar as an energy solution and most of those who were aware thought it was too expensive. The report released last November recommended subsidies for consumers who can benefit from small rooftop solar arrays but can't afford them.<\/p>\n<p>Kuldeep said consumer awareness about rooftop solar is one key to driving growth. Others are efficient governments at both the federal and state level, and finding the right \u201cfit\u201d for a particular user's power needs.<\/p>\n<p>Experts say another is getting buy-in from state-owned electricity companies who sometimes see rooftop <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//09//19//solar-panels-installed-in-remote-arctic-community-to-power-green-energy-transition/">solar/strong>/a> as a threat to their profits.<\/p>\n<p>Kuldeep said that's short-sighted. The companies can often actually make more money if they help install rooftop solar in a low-consumption home, he said. That's because they cut their transmission and distribution costs to carry power to a house with a subsidised bill that already earns them little profit.<\/p>\n<p>Installations have also risen since the government launched a national rooftop solar portal in 2022 that consumers can use to claim and steer government subsidies directly to their bank account, say experts and rooftop solar companies.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"8127172,8101144\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//12//15//could-the-worlds-first-solar-power-truck-be-the-answer-to-decarbonising-haulage/">Could the world\u2019s first solar power truck be the answer to decarbonising haulage?<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//12//21//a-powerful-energy-cocktail-chile-is-taking-the-latin-lead-in-the-race-for-renewables/">A powerful energy cocktail: Chile is taking the Latin lead in the race for renewables<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Mysun, a rooftop solar company based in <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//11//06//air-pocalypse-indias-capital-launches-green-war-room-to-tackle-life-threatening-smog/">New Delhi<\/strong><\/a>, offers potential buyers a \u201csolar calculator\u201d on its website where they can enter their location and current electricity costs to see what kind of savings they can expect. CEO Gagan Vermani said it's about simplifying the process for potential customers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to start thinking of (rooftop solar) with consumer needs in mind rather than thinking of it as building solar infrastructure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h2>'Expensive but it's totally worth it'<\/h2><p>Those who are already hooked up with panels on their roofs tout the benefits of cheaper electricity and greater agency over their own power. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is a little expensive but it\u2019s totally worth it,\u201d said Ruchika Chahana, who lives in the affluent Greater Kailash neighbourhood in New Delhi. Chahana installed rooftop solar in her home nine months ago at a cost of nearly $5,000 (\u20ac4,607). She said her summer <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//business//2023//11//21//using-energy-at-the-right-time-can-save-europe-105-billion-a-year/">electricity bills<\/strong><\/a> have fallen to about $50 (\u20ac46)a month, from $200 (\u20ac184), and her family feels great about \u201cdoing something to save the planet.\"<\/p>\n<p>In Bengaluru, Satish Mallya saw rooftop solar as essential both to save money and avert carbon emissions. He took the lead in installing 65 kilowatts of solar atop the 120-unit apartment complex he lives in, and the building's electricity costs have dropped $700 (\u20ac645) a month.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-ease-in-up widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//25//89//32//808x454_cmsv2_99ec6aa9-1af0-580c-9203-f74b22e55f40-8258932.jpg/" alt=\"Children along with their father look at the newly installed solar panels on the roof of their house in Gurugram on the outskirts of New Delhi.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/25\/89\/32\/384x216_cmsv2_99ec6aa9-1af0-580c-9203-f74b22e55f40-8258932.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/25\/89\/32\/640x360_cmsv2_99ec6aa9-1af0-580c-9203-f74b22e55f40-8258932.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/25\/89\/32\/750x422_cmsv2_99ec6aa9-1af0-580c-9203-f74b22e55f40-8258932.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/25\/89\/32\/828x466_cmsv2_99ec6aa9-1af0-580c-9203-f74b22e55f40-8258932.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/25\/89\/32\/1080x608_cmsv2_99ec6aa9-1af0-580c-9203-f74b22e55f40-8258932.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/25\/89\/32\/1200x675_cmsv2_99ec6aa9-1af0-580c-9203-f74b22e55f40-8258932.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/25\/89\/32\/1920x1080_cmsv2_99ec6aa9-1af0-580c-9203-f74b22e55f40-8258932.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Children along with their father look at the newly installed solar panels on the roof of their house in Gurugram on the outskirts of New Delhi.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo\/Manish Swarup<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>That 2020 installation was \u201cchallenging\u201d because of bureaucratic hurdles, said Mallya, who serves as vice president of a citywide group that represents apartment dwellers and owners. He's helped many others set up their own rooftop solar connections in the years since, and says the process has gotten easier.<\/p>\n<p>Mishra, of Solar Square, said she's seeing a big increase in interest in a technology that she calls \u201ca key part of India's energy future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs an Indian and an entrepreneur, I'm extremely proud of seeing this getting built up,\u201d she said. \"I think building <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//business//2023//10//09//europe-can-become-energy-self-sufficient-by-2030-but-it-comes-with-a-hefty-price-tag-study/">energy infrastructure<\/strong><\/a> is the greatest nation-building thing we can do.\u201d<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1708596075,"updatedAt":1708619428,"publishedAt":1708600325,"firstPublishedAt":1708600329,"lastPublishedAt":1708619428,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Manish Swarup","altText":"Workers of Solar Square place a panel on the rooftop of a residence in Gurugram on the outskirts of New Delhi.","callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"caption":"Workers of Solar Square place a panel on the rooftop of a residence in Gurugram on the outskirts of New Delhi.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/25\/89\/32\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_c9b434e8-4708-5773-88d3-bbaf39ff0458-8258932.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1080},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Manish Swarup","altText":"Children along with their father look at the newly installed solar panels on the roof of their house in Gurugram on the outskirts of New Delhi.","callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"caption":"Children along with their father look at the newly installed solar panels on the roof of their house in Gurugram on the outskirts of New Delhi.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/25\/89\/32\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_99ec6aa9-1af0-580c-9203-f74b22e55f40-8258932.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1080},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Manish Swarup","altText":"India is renewing its push to add rooftop solar to meet the needs of a fast-growing nation that's hungry for energy.","callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"caption":"India is renewing its push to add rooftop solar to meet the needs of a fast-growing nation that's hungry for energy.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/25\/89\/32\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_f87ae20a-3d5b-5f1c-aafe-394783be7fed-8258932.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":1080}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"solar-power","titleRaw":"solar power","id":24742,"title":"solar power","slug":"solar-power"},{"urlSafeValue":"carbon-emissions","titleRaw":"carbon 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Green","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"eco-innovation","urlSafeValue":"eco-innovation","title":"Eco-Innovation","online":0,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/eco-innovation\/eco-innovation"},"vertical":"green","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"green","id":8,"title":"Green","slug":"green"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":8,"slug":"green","urlSafeValue":"green","title":"Green"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"eco-innovation","id":"eco-innovation","title":"Eco-Innovation","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/eco-innovation"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":37,"urlSafeValue":"eco-innovation","title":"Eco-Innovation"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":12,"urlSafeValue":"asia","title":"Asia"},"country":{"id":148,"urlSafeValue":"india","title":"India","url":"\/news\/asia\/india"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe','gb_safe_from_high','gb_safe_from_high_med','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','gs_busfin','gs_science','gs_business','gs_busfin_business','gs_busfin_indus_energy','gs_business_energy','gs_busfin_indus','progressivemedia','gs_science_geography','neg_saudiaramco','shadow9hu7_pos_ukrainecrisis','climatechange','neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_audi_list1','gt_positive'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"Green India seeks to boost rooftop solar, especially for its remote areas","path":"\/green\/2024\/02\/22\/india-looks-to-rooftop-solar-to-provide-free-electricity-for-up-to-10-million-homes","lastModified":1708619428},{"id":2477524,"cid":8237230,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"240213_NWSU_54791927","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":3},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Police fire tear gas from drones at Indian farmers' protest","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Police fire tear gas from drones at Indian farmers' protest","titleListing2":"Police fire tear gas from drones at Indian farmers' protest","leadin":"Agriculture sector protests have taken place around the world in recent weeks and months.","summary":"Agriculture sector protests have taken place around the world in recent weeks and months.","keySentence":"","url":"police-fire-tear-gas-from-drones-at-indian-farmers-protest","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2024\/02\/13\/police-fire-tear-gas-from-drones-at-indian-farmers-protest","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Indian police on Tuesday used tear gas and detained some farmers who clashed with them and tried to break barricades blocking their way to New Delhi to demand guaranteed crop prices. \n\nPolice dropped tear gas canisters on the protesting farmers from a drone at one of the border points in northern Haryana state that leads to New Delhi, where tens of thousands of farmers are headed on tractors and trucks. \n\nThe demonstration is an echo of protests in 2021, which saw farmers camping out on the city's outskirts for more than a year. \n\n\nThe government has banned large gatherings in the capital and suspended internet service in some districts of neighbouring Haryana state to prevent communication among the protesters. \n\nThe demonstration comes more than two years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi withdrew controversial agriculture laws that had triggered the earlier protests. \n\nThe farmers, who began their march in northern Haryana and Punjab states, are asking for a guaranteed minimum support price for all farm produce. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Indian police on Tuesday used tear gas and detained some farmers who clashed with them and tried to break barricades blocking their way to New Delhi to demand guaranteed crop prices.<\/p>\n<p>Police dropped tear gas canisters on the protesting farmers from a drone at one of the border points in northern Haryana state that leads to New Delhi, where tens of thousands of farmers are headed on tractors and trucks.<\/p>\n<p>The demonstration is an echo of protests in 2021, which saw farmers camping out on the city's outskirts for more than a year. <\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"8236126\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2024//02//13//spanish-polish-and-moldovan-farmers-continue-to-denounce-eu-policies/">Spanish, Polish and Moldovan farmers continue to denounce EU policies<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The government has banned large gatherings in the capital and suspended internet service in some districts of neighbouring Haryana state to prevent communication among the protesters.<\/p>\n<p>The demonstration comes more than two years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi withdrew controversial agriculture laws that had triggered the earlier protests.<\/p>\n<p>The farmers, who began their march in northern Haryana and Punjab states, are asking for a guaranteed minimum support price for all farm produce.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1707826777,"updatedAt":1707846525,"publishedAt":1707835667,"firstPublishedAt":1707835672,"lastPublishedAt":1707835672,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Rajesh Sachar\/AP","altText":"Farmers run for cover after police fired tear gas to disperse protesting farmers who were marching to New Delhi near the Punjab-Haryana border at Shambhu, India, Tuesday, Feb.","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Farmers run for cover after police fired tear gas to disperse protesting farmers who were marching to New Delhi near the Punjab-Haryana border at Shambhu, India, Tuesday, Feb.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/23\/72\/30\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_a511b8c2-e330-5fb9-a997-e957d1fcb0d7-8237230.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":678},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Rajesh Sachar\/AP","altText":"Indian farmers.","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Indian farmers.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/23\/72\/42\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_06c840ab-422f-51fa-890f-92aa3d9fffe2-8237242.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":626}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"india","titleRaw":"India","id":148,"title":"India","slug":"india"},{"urlSafeValue":"farmers","titleRaw":"Farmers","id":18298,"title":"Farmers","slug":"farmers"},{"urlSafeValue":"protesters","titleRaw":"Protesters","id":18240,"title":"Protesters","slug":"protesters"}],"widgets":[{"count":1,"slug":"related"}],"related":[{"id":2475840},{"id":2478788}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"6wmKM8_5IQ0","dailymotionId":"x8snj5u"},"video":1,"videos":[{"duration":35000,"editor":"","filesizeBytes":4532064,"format":"mp4","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/NW\/SU\/24\/02\/13\/en\/240213_NWSU_54791927_54792203_35000_184240_en.mp4","expiresAt":0,"quality":"md"},{"duration":35000,"editor":"","filesizeBytes":6960480,"format":"mp4","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/EN\/NW\/SU\/24\/02\/13\/en\/240213_NWSU_54791927_54792203_35000_184240_en.mp4","expiresAt":0,"quality":"hd"}],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"AP","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Euronews","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"world 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FARMERS CLASHES","path":"\/2024\/02\/13\/police-fire-tear-gas-from-drones-at-indian-farmers-protest","lastModified":1707835672},{"id":2463830,"cid":8196264,"versionId":2,"archive":0,"housenumber":"240125_NWSU_54627620","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":3},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Thousands of Indians apply for construction jobs in Israel despite war","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Thousands of Indians apply for jobs in Israel despite war","titleListing2":"\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf1 Thousands of Indians apply for construction jobs in Israel despite the ongoing war.","leadin":"The week-long recruitment drive began on Tuesday, with an Israeli expecting to fill over 5,000 positions for masons, carpenters and other construction workers in Israel.","summary":"The week-long recruitment drive began on Tuesday, with an Israeli expecting to fill over 5,000 positions for masons, carpenters and other construction workers in Israel.","keySentence":"","url":"thousands-of-indians-apply-for-construction-jobs-in-israel-despite-war","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2024\/01\/25\/thousands-of-indians-apply-for-construction-jobs-in-israel-despite-war","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Thousands of Indians flocked to a recruitment centre on Thursday for jobs that would take them to Israel despite the three-month Israeli-Hamas war that is devastating Gaza and threatening to ignite the wider Middle East. \n\nMany among the crowd of men, mostly skilled construction workers and labourers, said they would take their chances in a country embroiled in war as they are struggling to find jobs in India, where unemployment remains high despite a swelling economy. \n\nAnoop Singh, a college graduate and construction worker, was told he would make about\u00a0\u20ac1,500 a month if he was selected to go to Israel - more than triple he could get as a monthly wage for the same work in India. \n\n\u201cThat\u2019s why I have applied to go to Israel,\u201d he said as he waited at the centre in Lucknow, the capital of India\u2019s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, for his job interview. \n\nThe men said they had heard media reports that Israel is facing a labour shortage after barring tens of thousands of Palestinian workers following Hamas\u2019 deadly 7 October attack on Israel that triggered the war. \n\nIndia, where the gross domestic product is about\u00a0\u20ac2,200 per capital annually, seems willing to step in to fill some of that gap. \n\nThe states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have advertised for around 10,000 positions each for construction workers in Israel. Uttar Pradesh has finalized a list of 16,000 to send to Israel next month for a final selection, the state labour minister Anil Rajbhar said. \n\nRajbhar said the federal government\u2019s screening centre in Lucknow was in response to Israel\u2019s request for labourers. \n\nThe week-long recruitment drive began on Tuesday, with a 15-member Israeli team overseeing the process and expecting to fill over 5,000 positions for masons, carpenters and other construction workers in Israel. \n\nOn one hand, India\u2019s large economy is one of the world\u2019s fastest growing and seen as a bright spot amid a recent global downturn. \n\nBut joblessness remains a concern as India last year became the world\u2019s most populous. After a rise in salaried jobs in the last two decades, the pace of regular wage jobs has stagnated since 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic and an overall growth slowdown, according to the State of Working India report by the Azim Premji University. \n\nThe report says that while unemployment is falling, it is still high - above 15% for university graduates of all ages and around 42% for graduates under 25. \n\nThere are around 13 million Indians working abroad as laborers, professionals and experts, according to government data released last year. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Thousands of Indians flocked to a recruitment centre on Thursday for jobs that would take them to Israel despite the three-month Israeli-Hamas war that is devastating Gaza and threatening to ignite the wider Middle East.<\/p>\n<p>Many among the crowd of men, mostly skilled construction workers and labourers, said they would take their chances in a country embroiled in war as they are struggling to find jobs in India, where unemployment remains high despite a swelling economy.<\/p>\n<p>Anoop Singh, a college graduate and construction worker, was told he would make about\u00a0\u20ac1,500 a month if he was selected to go to Israel - more than triple he could get as a monthly wage for the same work in India.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s why I have applied to go to Israel,\u201d he said as he waited at the centre in Lucknow, the capital of India\u2019s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, for his job interview.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//19//62//64//808x539_cmsv2_896e0d69-d7b4-5234-bf8e-86e3a2b8619b-8196264.jpg/" alt=\"Anup Singh, an Indian skilled worker aspiring to be hired for a job in Israel shows his passport and a form he filled during a recruitment drive in Lucknow, India, Thursday.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/19\/62\/64\/384x256_cmsv2_896e0d69-d7b4-5234-bf8e-86e3a2b8619b-8196264.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/19\/62\/64\/640x427_cmsv2_896e0d69-d7b4-5234-bf8e-86e3a2b8619b-8196264.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/19\/62\/64\/750x500_cmsv2_896e0d69-d7b4-5234-bf8e-86e3a2b8619b-8196264.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/19\/62\/64\/828x552_cmsv2_896e0d69-d7b4-5234-bf8e-86e3a2b8619b-8196264.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/19\/62\/64\/1080x720_cmsv2_896e0d69-d7b4-5234-bf8e-86e3a2b8619b-8196264.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/19\/62\/64\/1200x800_cmsv2_896e0d69-d7b4-5234-bf8e-86e3a2b8619b-8196264.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/19\/62\/64\/1920x1281_cmsv2_896e0d69-d7b4-5234-bf8e-86e3a2b8619b-8196264.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Anup Singh, an Indian skilled worker aspiring to be hired for a job in Israel shows his passport and a form he filled during a recruitment drive in Lucknow, India, Thursday.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Rajesh Kumar Singh\/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved.<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The men said they had heard media reports that Israel is facing a labour shortage after barring tens of thousands of Palestinian workers following Hamas\u2019 deadly 7 October attack on Israel that triggered the war.<\/p>\n<p>India, where the gross domestic product is about\u00a0\u20ac2,200 per capital annually, seems willing to step in to fill some of that gap.<\/p>\n<p>The states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have advertised for around 10,000 positions each for construction workers in Israel. Uttar Pradesh has finalized a list of 16,000 to send to Israel next month for a final selection, the state labour minister Anil Rajbhar said.<\/p>\n<p>Rajbhar said the federal government\u2019s screening centre in Lucknow was in response to Israel\u2019s request for labourers.<\/p>\n<p>The week-long recruitment drive began on Tuesday, with a 15-member Israeli team overseeing the process and expecting to fill over 5,000 positions for masons, carpenters and other construction workers in Israel.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//19//62//64//808x539_cmsv2_668686c8-0c75-5fa3-9971-b2c1467c6e5d-8196264.jpg/" alt=\"Indian workers aspiring to be hired for jobs in Israel wait to submit their forms during a recruitment drive in Lucknow, India, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/19\/62\/64\/384x256_cmsv2_668686c8-0c75-5fa3-9971-b2c1467c6e5d-8196264.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/19\/62\/64\/640x427_cmsv2_668686c8-0c75-5fa3-9971-b2c1467c6e5d-8196264.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/19\/62\/64\/750x500_cmsv2_668686c8-0c75-5fa3-9971-b2c1467c6e5d-8196264.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/19\/62\/64\/828x552_cmsv2_668686c8-0c75-5fa3-9971-b2c1467c6e5d-8196264.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/19\/62\/64\/1080x720_cmsv2_668686c8-0c75-5fa3-9971-b2c1467c6e5d-8196264.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/19\/62\/64\/1200x800_cmsv2_668686c8-0c75-5fa3-9971-b2c1467c6e5d-8196264.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/19\/62\/64\/1920x1281_cmsv2_668686c8-0c75-5fa3-9971-b2c1467c6e5d-8196264.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Indian workers aspiring to be hired for jobs in Israel wait to submit their forms during a recruitment drive in Lucknow, India, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Rajesh Kumar Singh\/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved.<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>On one hand, India\u2019s large economy is one of the world\u2019s fastest growing and seen as a bright spot amid a recent global downturn.<\/p>\n<p>But joblessness remains a concern as India last year became the world\u2019s most populous. After a rise in salaried jobs in the last two decades, the pace of regular wage jobs has stagnated since 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic and an overall growth slowdown, according to the State of Working India report by the Azim Premji University.<\/p>\n<p>The report says that while unemployment is falling, it is still high - above 15% for university graduates of all ages and around 42% for graduates under 25.<\/p>\n<p>There are around 13 million Indians working abroad as laborers, professionals and experts, according to government data released last year.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1706197029,"updatedAt":1706203299,"publishedAt":1706199104,"firstPublishedAt":1706199107,"lastPublishedAt":1706203299,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Rajesh Kumar Singh\/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved.","altText":"Indian workers aspiring to be hired for jobs in Israel line up during a recruitment drive in Lucknow, India, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024.","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Indian workers aspiring to be hired for jobs in Israel line up during a recruitment drive in Lucknow, India, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/19\/62\/64\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_9106b32c-9ef7-5bf1-aa86-ba22343dac7a-8196264.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Rajesh Kumar Singh\/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved.","altText":"Indian workers aspiring to be hired for jobs in Israel wait to submit their forms during a recruitment drive in Lucknow, India, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. ","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Indian workers aspiring to be hired for jobs in Israel wait to submit their forms during a recruitment drive in Lucknow, India, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. ","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/19\/62\/64\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_668686c8-0c75-5fa3-9971-b2c1467c6e5d-8196264.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683},{"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Rajesh Kumar Singh\/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved.","altText":"Anup Singh, an Indian skilled worker aspiring to be hired for a job in Israel shows his passport and a form he filled during a recruitment drive in Lucknow, India, Thursday.","callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"caption":"Anup Singh, an Indian skilled worker aspiring to be hired for a job in Israel shows his passport and a form he filled during a recruitment drive in Lucknow, India, Thursday.","url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/19\/62\/64\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_896e0d69-d7b4-5234-bf8e-86e3a2b8619b-8196264.jpg","captionUrl":null,"height":683}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"urlSafeValue":"india","titleRaw":"India","id":148,"title":"India","slug":"india"},{"urlSafeValue":"unemployment","titleRaw":"Unemployment","id":289,"title":"Unemployment","slug":"unemployment"},{"urlSafeValue":"israel-hamas-war","titleRaw":"Israel Hamas war","id":29226,"title":"Israel Hamas war","slug":"israel-hamas-war"}],"widgets":[{"count":2,"slug":"image"}],"related":[{"id":2452994},{"id":2434584}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"endDate":0,"startDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"Associated Press","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Euronews","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"world news","online":1,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"vertical":"news","verticals":[{"urlSafeValue":"news","id":1,"title":"News","slug":"news"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"urlSafeValue":"news","id":"news","title":"World","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":12,"urlSafeValue":"asia","title":"Asia"},"country":{"id":148,"urlSafeValue":"india","title":"India","url":"\/news\/asia\/india"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe','gb_safe_from_high','gb_safe_from_high_med','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','gs_business','gs_business_careers','neg_mobkoi_castrol','gs_busfin','neg_nespresso','neg_meta_oct23_eng','neg_saudiaramco','shadow9hu7_pos_ukrainecrisis','gs_careers_jobsearch','gs_careers','neg_facebook_q4','gs_science_geography','gs_education_university','gt_negative','gs_politics_misc','gt_negative_sadness'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"daletEventName":"INIDIANS JOBS ISRAEL","path":"\/2024\/01\/25\/thousands-of-indians-apply-for-construction-jobs-in-israel-despite-war","lastModified":1706203299},{"id":2435380,"cid":8109618,"versionId":3,"archive":0,"housenumber":"240110_TKSU_54226301","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":1,"isBreakingNews":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Forsaken, how the 'hidden gem' of Indian esports was caught cheating | Euronews Tech Talks","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"How the 'hidden gem' of Indian esports was caught cheating","titleListing2":"Here's the story of Forsaken, the hacker behind India\u2019s esports scandal | Euronews Tech Talks ","leadin":"In 2018, the Indian esports team qualified for an Asian gaming competition, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the underdogs of the esports arena. During a crucial match, the admins stopped the game. Forsaken, one of the Indian players, was caught cheating. This is his story.","summary":"In 2018, the Indian esports team qualified for an Asian gaming competition, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the underdogs of the esports arena. During a crucial match, the admins stopped the game. Forsaken, one of the Indian players, was caught cheating. This is his story.","keySentence":"","url":"forsaken-how-the-hidden-gem-of-indian-esports-was-caught-cheating-euronews-tech-talks","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/next\/2024\/01\/12\/forsaken-how-the-hidden-gem-of-indian-esports-was-caught-cheating-euronews-tech-talks","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"\u201cWe all stayed together because it's a team sport, so we needed to be together to improve. The mental pressure is immense. If you have to succeed in any sport, you need to be tough,\u201d said the Indian player Sabyasachi Bose, also known as Antidote, talking about his experience in esports. \n\nElectronic sports or esports are competitive video games and have developed into a huge industry in the last 20 years. Just like traditional sports, professional esports players\u00a0follow regular training schedules, participate in international championships, and deal with sponsors to make a living out of their passion.\u00a0 \n\nLeague of Legends, Call of Duty and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) are among the most famous esports around the world. Just consider CS:GO: it was\u00a0launched in 2000 and in May 2023, it reached a record 1.8 million \u00a0worldwide players.\u00a0 \n\nBack in 2018, Antidote was a professional CS:GO gamer for the Indian national team. Together with his mates, they reached the\u00a0CS:GO Asian Championship, a dream-come-true moment in the history of India's esports career. \n\nYet, something went wrong.\u00a0Forsaken, Antidote's teammate, was caught red-handed, overturning his and his team\u2019s destiny forever.\u00a0 \n\nA new chapter for India's esports \n\nIn 2018, the Indian esports organisation OpTic Gaming decided to enhance India\u2019s performance in the digital sports arena. To do so, they organised a boot camp in Bangalore, bringing together the most talented CS: GO gamers in the country.\u00a0 \n\nThe final selection had five players including Antidote, and Nikhil Kumawat, also known as Forsaken.\u00a0 \n\n\"Forsaken was one of those hidden gems. One of those players that came with an unnatural amount of skills,\" said Siddarth Nayyar, esports entrepreneur at AFK gaming.\u00a0 \n\nYet, in the esports world, there were some suspicions. \u201cOther people were saying he was fishy, but we didn't have any concrete evidence to kick him out of the team,\u201d said Antidote.\u00a0 \n\nDespite the doubts, Forsaken was an asset to the team.\u00a0\u201cWe picked him because he was really good at the technical aspects of the game. He was brought in for his brains more than his reflexes,\u201d said Prashant Prabhakar, OpTic operations partner. \n\nThe esports scandal \n\nIt did not take long for the OpTic team to start achieving results. The team passed the Hyberaabad qualifications, dominated in the Extremesland tournament and ultimately got to the Asian Championship of CS:GO in Shangai, China.\u00a0 \n\nThey could not believe it. \u201cIt was really exciting because you could just see their eyes light up. They were like: 'Oh my gosh, we're in a new place and we're about to just showcase what we're made out of',\" Jesal Parekh, former global development director at OpTic India, said.\u00a0\u00a0 \n\nAfter a challenging game against Malaysia, the underdogs faced Vietnam in a crucial match. They were\u00a0halfway through the map when the admins paused the game.\u00a0Forsaken was caught red-handed: he had been using a previously installed cheat without telling his teammates. \n\nJust like using doping in sports, cheating in an international esports competition comes at a high price. It undermines the team's legitimacy, reduces the number of sponsors and changes the lives of many people, teammates included.\u00a0 \n\nAfter months of silence, in an interview with AFK gaming ,\u00a0 Forsaken explained: \u201cI\u00a0was confident in my decisions, I was confident in understanding of the game etc but was never confident in my aim so to compensate for that lack of confidence in aim I chose the wrong path\u201d.\u00a0 \n\nHe even added:\u00a0\u201cI would probably delete the day when I first played Counterstrike. Nothing good has happened to me since the day I started playing this game\".\u00a0 \n\nHacker Hunter: Next Level is brought to you by Tomorrow Unlocked, the cyber immunity channel from Kaspersky, in collaboration with the Euronews Tech Talks team. \n\n","htmlText":"<div class=\"widget widget--type-freeform\nwidget--size-fullwidth\nwidget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <iframe src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////embed.acast.com//6486cf282b317a001151a613//65942b727c9299001697bad0/" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"100%\" height=\"190px\"><\/iframe> \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe all stayed together because it's a team sport, so we needed to be together to improve. The mental pressure is immense. If you have to succeed in any sport, you need to be tough,\u201d said the Indian player Sabyasachi Bose, also known as Antidote, talking about his experience in esports.<\/p>\n<p>Electronic sports or esports are competitive video games and have developed into a huge industry in the last 20 years. Just like traditional sports, professional esports players\u00a0follow regular training schedules, participate in international championships, and deal with sponsors to make a living out of their passion.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>League of Legends, Call of Duty and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) are among the most famous esports around the world. Just consider CS:GO: it was\u00a0launched in 2000 and in May 2023, it reached a record <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.forbes.com//sites//mikestubbs//2023//05//06//csgo-breaks-all-time-player-record-again-with-18-million-players//?sh=179410725eef\%22>1.8 million<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0worldwide players.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Back in 2018, Antidote was a professional CS:GO gamer for the Indian national team. Together with his mates, they reached the\u00a0CS:GO Asian Championship, a dream-come-true moment in the history of India's esports career.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, something went wrong.\u00a0Forsaken, Antidote's teammate, was caught red-handed, overturning his and his team\u2019s destiny forever.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-euronews\nwidget--size-fullwidth\nwidget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"auto widget__ratio widget__ratio--16x9\">\n <iframe type=\"text\/html\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//embed//1922024/" width=\"100%\" loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen seamless>\n <\/iframe>\n <\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>A new chapter for India's esports<\/h2><p>In 2018, the Indian esports organisation <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////opticgaming.com///">OpTic Gaming<\/strong><\/a> decided to enhance India\u2019s performance in the digital sports arena. To do so, they organised a boot camp in Bangalore, bringing together the most talented CS: GO gamers in the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The final selection had five players including Antidote, and Nikhil Kumawat, also known as Forsaken.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"1\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//08//10//96//18//808x808_cmsv2_003de7e3-6cae-5975-a026-4f252ab0da2d-8109618.jpg/" alt=\"Nikhil Kumawat, AKA Forsaken\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/96\/18\/384x384_cmsv2_003de7e3-6cae-5975-a026-4f252ab0da2d-8109618.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/96\/18\/640x640_cmsv2_003de7e3-6cae-5975-a026-4f252ab0da2d-8109618.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/96\/18\/750x750_cmsv2_003de7e3-6cae-5975-a026-4f252ab0da2d-8109618.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/96\/18\/828x828_cmsv2_003de7e3-6cae-5975-a026-4f252ab0da2d-8109618.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/96\/18\/1080x1080_cmsv2_003de7e3-6cae-5975-a026-4f252ab0da2d-8109618.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/96\/18\/1200x1200_cmsv2_003de7e3-6cae-5975-a026-4f252ab0da2d-8109618.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/08\/10\/96\/18\/1920x1920_cmsv2_003de7e3-6cae-5975-a026-4f252ab0da2d-8109618.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Nikhil Kumawat, AKA Forsaken<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Euronews \/ Kaspersky<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\"Forsaken was one of those hidden gems. One of those players that came with an unnatural amount of skills,\" said Siddarth Nayyar, esports entrepreneur at AFK gaming.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Yet, in the esports world, there were some suspicions. \u201cOther people were saying he was fishy, but we didn't have any concrete evidence to kick him out of the team,\u201d said Antidote.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Despite the doubts, Forsaken was an asset to the team.\u00a0\u201cWe picked him because he was really good at the technical aspects of the game. He was brought in for his brains more than his reflexes,\u201d said Prashant Prabhakar, OpTic operations partner.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>The esports scandal<\/strong><\/h2><p>It did not take long for the OpTic team to start achieving results. The team passed the Hyberaabad qualifications, dominated in the Extremesland tournament and ultimately got to the Asian Championship of CS:GO in Shangai, China.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They could not believe it. \u201cIt was really exciting because you could just see their eyes light up. They were like: 'Oh my gosh, we're in a new place and we're about to just showcase what we're made out of',\" Jesal Parekh, former global development director at OpTic India, said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>After a challenging game against Malaysia, the underdogs faced Vietnam in a crucial match. They were\u00a0halfway through the map when the admins paused the game.\u00a0Forsaken was caught red-handed: he had been using a previously installed cheat without telling his teammates.<\/p>\n<p>Just like using doping in sports, cheating in an international esports competition comes at a high price. It undermines the team's legitimacy, reduces the number of sponsors and changes the lives of many people, teammates included.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-quotation\n widget--size-fullwidth\n widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__content\">\n <blockquote class=\"widget__quote\">\n <span class=\"widget__quoteText\">All of a sudden my achievements were gone, everything I had earned as a player.<\/span>\n <\/blockquote>\n <cite class=\"widget__author\">\n <div class=\"widget__authorText\">\n Sabyasachi Bose, AKA Antidote\n <\/div>\n <div class=\"widget__author_descriptionText\">\n Forsaken's teammate\n <\/div>\n <\/cite>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>After months of silence, in an interview with <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////afkgaming.com//csgo//originals//2211-forsaken-breaks-his-silence-an-apology-and-his-perspective/">AFK gaming<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0 Forsaken explained: \u201cI\u00a0was confident in my decisions, I was confident in understanding of the game etc but was never confident in my aim so to compensate for that lack of confidence in aim I chose the wrong path\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He even added:\u00a0\u201cI would probably delete the day when I first played Counterstrike. Nothing good has happened to me since the day I started playing this game\".\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-freeform\nwidget--size-fullwidth\nwidget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <a href=https://www.euronews.com/news/asia/'https:////podcasts.apple.com//es//podcast//euronews-tech-talks//id1692172944 ' target='_blank'><img style='max-width:200px;padding-top:1rem;' src=https://www.euronews.com/news/asia/'https:////static.euronews.com//website//images//special//apple_podcast.png' width='30%' \/><\/a> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/news/asia/'https:////open.spotify.com//show//6fU52gqUaPxZEsq1HUXgCJ?si=e67b840ac24548b4 ' target='_blank'><img style='max-width:200px;padding-top:1rem;' src=https://www.euronews.com/news/asia/'https:////static.euronews.com//website//images//special//spotify.png' width='30%' \/><\/a> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/news/asia/'https:////castbox.fm//channel//id5475312?country=estarget='_blank'>Kerala/strong>/a>./p>/n