PROSPECT
Patna, Thrissur Students top ACAD QUAD crossword
Dhairya Pandey of Don Bosco Academy, Patna; Shraddha Shree of St Michael’s High School, Patna; Jacob Brahmakulam of Thrissur, Kerala; and Ramakrishnan Krishnan of Chennai have won the First position in four different categories of the online daily crossword challenge known as ACAD QUAD for the month of March 2026. The competitive phase of this year-long contest runs between February 1 and October 31 every year. The categories in which Dhairya, Shraddha, Jacob, and Ramakrishnan have stamped their superiority are ACAD School, ACAD College, ACAD Senior, and ACAD Global, respectively. According to a Press release, in the School category, Dilkhus Kumar and Bittu Kumar, both from Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Residential School, Begusarai, Bihar, have, respectively, won 2nd and 3rd positions. Samriddhi Salgaonkar of Goa Dental College and Tisha Taneja of IIT Madras have taken 2nd and 3rd positions, respectively, in the College category.
In the Senior category, 2nd and 3rd positions have gone to R. Uma and N. Rengaswamy, respectively. Both are from Chennai. Samit Kallianpur of Secunderabad and Mona Sogal of Bengaluru have clinched 2nd and 3rd spots, respectively, in the Global category.
A-Clue-A-Day (ACAD) online challenge began in the year 2014 to engage school students on a daily basis to provide a quality pastime that also worked as a learning tool, combining fun. Over more than a decade, this has grown as a four-segment contest on overwhelmingly popular demand. Conducted by Extra-C, a civil society initiative, it is conducted on the organisation’s official website. While the first two categories are obvious by their nomenclature, ACAD Senior is meant for participants in the age group of 60 and above. ACAD Global is for anyone, anywhere in the world who wants to partake of this intellectually invigorating experience.
The participation at any stage of the contest is free of cost. A participant may register on the website, get a password, and enter the game daily, according to the press release.
NBCC unveils sustainable, new-age corporate office
Srinivas Katikithala, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), inaugurated the newly renovated Corporate Office of NBCC (India) Limited at Lodhi Road, New Delhi. Sanjeet, Joint Secretary & Financial Advisor, MoHUA, Dr KP Mahadevaswamy, CMD, NBCC, Anjeev Kumar Jain, Director (Finance), Ritu Pande, CVO, along with Independent Directors and senior officers of the company were also present on this occasion.
The inauguration ceremony was marked by traditional rituals, including a pooja ceremony, lamp lighting, and unveiling of the inauguration plaque, followed by a walkthrough of the upgraded office premises and interaction with senior officials and employees.
Addressing the gathering, Katikithala lauded NBCC’s continued contribution to nation-building through its role in executing landmark infrastructure and redevelopment projects. He emphasised the importance of modern, efficient, and sustainable workplaces in enhancing productivity and fostering innovation within public sector enterprises.
On the occasion, CMD, NBCC, expressed gratitude to the Chief Guest for his presence and guidance, and reiterated the company’s commitment to evolving as a modern, agile, and people-centric organisation aligned with national priorities.
The renovated corporate office, spread across approximately 40,000 sq ft, marks a significant milestone in NBCC’s organisational growth and transformation.
The workplace is equipped with integrated technology solutions such as wireless connectivity, IoT-enabled systems, and modern charging infrastructure.
The event concluded with felicitation of shramjeevis involved in the project and a community bhandara, celebrating the successful completion of the renovation works.
