Vivek K Kaushik

Building India’s own social media, for the world. 🌍 Every country today depends on US platforms for expression, distribution, and identity. That dependence is risky - whether for creators, startups, or national ecosystems. At Medial, we’ve been proving that a sovereign social network is not just possible, but inevitable. And unlike many who only talk about this narrative, we’ve actually built a unique app that works, scales, and fills a global whitespace. 📊 Where we are today: •⁠ ⁠400K+ users worldwide •⁠ ⁠Website traffic dominated by the US •⁠ ⁠Fastest growing startup community and also the biggest All built from India, for India, but designed with the conviction that this model can serve any country that wants its own voice. 🚀 Why this matters: •⁠ ⁠Nations shouldn’t depend on US companies for critical digital infrastructure. •⁠ ⁠Local ecosystems deserve platforms aligned with their context and culture. •⁠ ⁠India has the scale and talent to create the next global platforms—not just consume them. •⁠ ⁠Despite hundreds of apps, there’s no truly professional-first social platform that fosters real conversations over vanity metrics. Medial is proving that gap exists - and can be filled. The world needs alternatives more than ever. Medial isn’t just another social app. It’s our shot at building future tech that scales globally, from India outward. We’re still early. We don’t have billions in the bank. But we do have proof: a fast-growing community, real traction, and a product people want to open every day. If you believe in an India-to-the-world narrative, this is the time to back it and join Medial. Because every time we “partner” instead of building, it’s an acceptance that we weren’t good enough to create on our own. We don’t accept that. Neither should you. 💛

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🌿𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞: 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚 is a new publication, conceptualised and produced by South Asia Women Foundation India (SAWF IN), authored by Neelima Khetan, with support from Jushya Kumar. ✨ It asks a central question: Why and how have women philanthropists in India chosen gender as the focus of their giving, and what can we all learn from their journeys? 📖 This publication highlights the motivations of these 10 stellar philanthropists, surfaces the intersectional causes they support, explores the challenges they have faced and the opportunities they have created. In doing so it seeks to inspire more philanthropists — women, men and non-binary folks — to back gender-focused initiatives. 🌸 The process of building this publication has been deliberate. SAWF IN compiled a long list of Indian women philanthropists with attention to diverse perspectives, focusing on those intentionally supporting gender equality related agendas. Guided conversations and secondary research shaped the profiles featured. 🌺 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 — 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫. 🚀 Launching August 2025 – 𝑊𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐴 𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝑁𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒: 𝑊𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑃ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑐 𝐿𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝐼𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑎 #WeavingANewNarrative #WomenInPhilanthropy #GenderEquality #SAWFIN #GenderJustice #FeministFunding Anuradha Rajan, PhD Jayapadma RV Pooja Sanghavi Shubhangi Singh Tanvi Singh Nu M.

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🌍 **CSR Funding in India: Are We Reaching the Right Places?** 🌱  A new Development Intelligence Unit (DIU) study reveals a stark reality: only 30% of Indian districts receive CSR funds aligned with their needs. Shockingly, 23% get no meaningful support, while 47% receive partial funding that misses the mark. Industrialized states like Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu grab over 60% of funds, leaving aspirational districts in Bihar and Odisha—high on development deficits—with under 20%.  **Why the Gap?**   - Proximity bias: Companies fund near operations for convenience.   - Compliance focus: The 2% CSR law becomes a checkbox, not a mission.   - NGO scarcity: Underdeveloped areas lack credible partners.  **The Fix?**   - Use the Rural Quality-of-Life (RQOL) Index to prioritize low-scoring districts.   - Shift to data-driven, not instinct-based, giving.   - Build NGO capacity in underserved regions.  CSR shouldn’t just feed the well-off—it’s time to courageously support the needy. Let’s turn intent into impact!  #CSR #SustainableDevelopment #IndiaNGOs #CorporateResponsibility #ImpactMatters #DevelopmentForAll

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The “Waterman & Green Man ” of  Central India Avani Mohan Singh is a dedicated environmentalist and grassroots leader who founded the NGO Haritika in 1994. His mission: combat water scarcity in the drought-prone Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh  Operating across 2500 villages, Haritika has implemented hundreds of water-related projects, reaching around 2000,000 people. Efforts include rainwater harvesting, construction of check dams, and revitalizing traditional water systems to restore water levels and promote agriculture  . A notable achievement: the Integrated Watershed Project in partnership with Coca-Cola India Foundation, ICRISAT, and local communities. In Parasai‑Sindh watershed, eight check dams created nearly 125,000 cubic meters of storage, lifting groundwater levels by 2–4 meters and boosting cropping intensity by 30–50%, with farmers achieving between 3,500–4,000 kg of wheat per hectare  With his efforts he has converted 45000 ha of land and through river basin  water conservation measures stored more than 200 billion liters of water He has led for nature based solution and planted around 50 lakh trees in around 7000 ha of land with the support of many donors like LTImindtree,Pernord Ricard India, Standard Chartered Bank,NABARD,VNV Bengluru Overall, his efforts have not only improved water availability but also catalyzed a transformation in livelihoods—expanding cultivable land, enabling farmer shifts to high‑value crops, and increasing yields significantly. Drinking water supply has reached 300 villages, and a 2,000-acre fruit orchard supports livelihoods in 2500 villages across UP , MP,Rajasthan and Maharastra 

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𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭 2025 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 & 𝐑𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 Dhan Dhanya Yojana to be launched in 100 districts. Special 6-year mission for Tur, Urad, and Masoor dal. Makhana Board to be set up in Bihar. Central agencies to purchase pulses for the next 4 years. New schemes for vegetable and fruit production in collaboration with states. Kisan Credit Card limit increased to ₹5 lakh. New urea plant to be set up in Assam. Special push for self-reliance in edible oils. 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 & 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 National Manufacturing Mission to be launched. Special schemes for footwear and leather industry. India to become a global hub for toy manufacturing. 22 lakh new jobs to be created under the Leather Scheme. ₹20,000 crore investment in R&D for the private sector. New mining policy to boost mineral production. Special scheme for nuclear energy development by 2047. New scheme for the ship-breaking industry. 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 & 𝐔𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 ₹1 lakh crore fund for urban infrastructure development. Interest-free funds for states to boost infrastructure projects. More cities to be connected under the Udaan scheme. New airport to be constructed in Bihar. 40,000 housing units to be built under the SWAMIH scheme. 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 More IITs to be established. 75,000 new medical seats in the next 5 years. Special AI research centers to be launched. Increased emphasis on Indian languages in education. All government secondary schools to be connected with broadband. 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 & 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲 UPI-linked card for small vendors. UPI-linked credit card limit set at ₹30,000. Special credit card for small businesses. 100% FDI in the insurance sector. 100% FPI limit in the insurance sector. Simplification of the RE-KYC process. 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 & 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 52 new tourist destinations to be developed in collaboration with states. Buddha-related heritage sites to be promoted. Special scheme for preserving Indian scripts. 𝐓𝐚𝐱𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐟 New Income Tax Bill to be introduced next week. Simplified TDS rates for ease of compliance. No primary duty on lead & zinc. Custom duty removed on 36 life-saving medicines. Major tax relief for senior citizens. Tax exemption limit for senior citizens increased to ₹1 lakh. TDS exemption limit on rent increased to ₹6 lakh. No penalty on delayed TCS payments. 𝐍𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐱 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 ₹12 𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐡. Follow: Priyanshu Pandey #Budget2025 #EconomicGrowth #IndiaBudget #FinancialReforms

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"Why is every Diwali basket in India still imported from China?" In this episode(#12) of HerStory Conversations, I had the privilege of speaking with Neelam Chhiber. Neelam co-founded Industree Foundation, one of the country’s most impactful social enterprises—building women-owned producer companies & transforming the rural craft economy in India. Whether you're curious about how a social enterprise really works or you’re dreaming of starting something meaningful, You need to watch this. we spoke about: - How Industree started with ₹60,000 and a ₹10 lakh loan - The 6C framework that powers their model: Construct, Capacity, Create, Channel, Capital, Connect - Why India must invest in Rural Supply Chains - How Natural Fibres like Bamboo, Banana, and Sal leaf are key to both livelihoods and climate resilience - What it means to lead with transparency and zero ego Neelam has contributed immensely to India’s craft and social enterprise ecosystem. Her story is one we can all learn from—whether we’re entrepreneurs, ecosystem builders, or simply believers in the power of handmade. Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/ef9Nn5ic ATRIOS Dialogues ATRIOS Consulting #HerStoryConversations #Industree #SocialEnterprise #CraftEconomy #WomenInLeadership #RuralLivelihoods #LeadershipWithPurpose #AtriosConsulting

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